Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright
Trademark

Dedication
Chapter 1

Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 4
Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7
Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11
Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15
Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18
Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22
Author’s Note

Acknowledgements

About the Author

OceanofPDF.com
Custos Securities Series
Book 1
By
Luna David

OceanofPDF.com
 Trusting Cade
Custos Securities Series
Book 1
Copyright © 2016 by Luna David
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is

illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
systems, without express written permission from the author, Luna David,
[email protected]. The only exception is in the case of brief
quotations embodied in reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to

actual places and events, the names, characters, places, and incidents are
either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Cover design by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design

http://www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk
Custos Securities Series emblem designed by Kellie Dennis, property of
Luna David.

Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only and any
person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
 Warnings

Intended for an adult audience. Contains explicit male/male sexual content,

violence, and elements of BDSM. Trigger warning: physical assault and
recollections of past sexual assault. HFN Cliffhanger. Book 2 due out a few
months after the release of Book 1.

OceanofPDF.com
 Trademark and Copyright Acknowledgements
Luna David acknowledges the trademark status of the following trademarks
mentioned in this work of fiction:

Forrest Gump, Ford Edge, iPhone, iPad, Dropbox, Wikipedia, Google

Maps, Google, Kool-Aid, Two Buck Chuck, Trader Joe’s, West Point,
House of Air, Hollywood Café, The Italian Homemade Company, The
California Academy of Sciences, Walmart, Planet Granite, The Mission's
Foreign Cinema Restaurant, The Maltese Falcon, Toyota Camry, Honda
Civic, Green Beret, SEALs, Special Forces, LoJack, Wells Fargo Bank,
Ambien, 7-Eleven, Krav Maga, Muy Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Pilates, Styrofoam,
Jolly Green Giant, Hulk, Betty Boop, G. I. Joe

OceanofPDF.com
To Husband, the love of my life, and the man who makes me laugh like no
other. Without you, this book wouldn’t have been written. You make it
possible for me to take time every single day to expel the voices in my
head, and get them on paper. I’m sorry I didn’t title my first M/M Romance,
The Adventures of Rod Steelcock: The Manhole Chronicles, as you
suggested. I hope Trusting Cade will suffice

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade and Cooper watched their latest round of interview testing
candidates through their office windows four stories up. They both stood at
parade rest, a habit ingrained in them from their early days in the Army.
They’d been through years of combat together after fighting their way
through the Special Forces training program and they trusted each other
implicitly. They had agreed, along with two of their closest friends, Jackson
and Sawyer, to get out of their Special Forces unit at the same time and go
into business together. Custos Securities now enjoyed a reputation for
providing unparalleled security for both civilians and businesses across the
U.S. As custos is the Latin word for guardian, that is what they called their
security specialists. They needed to hire five to ten new guardians to keep
up with their customers’ demands.
From the beginning, they’d agreed that they would only hire ex-
military personnel. There were a couple of reasons behind their decision:
one, they needed their employees to be equipped with the specialized
training the military provided and two, military veterans didn’t always have
an easy time re-inserting themselves back into civilian life after going
through combat, especially if they had issues with PTSD or physical
injuries from battle. They wanted to hire the best, and sometimes the best
came in unique packaging.
The latest candidates seemed promising, but Cade knew from past
testing sessions that looks could be deceiving. The group below them, seven
men and one woman, all fit by military standards, stretched in preparation
for the obstacle course. Jackson and Sawyer gave the latest candidates the
information they needed in order to get through the course.
The obstacle course was one similar to the courses designed for
Special Forces military groups in order to improve reaction times and
physical stamina. None of the current group being tested had any clue of the
amount of trust Cade and Cooper placed in their instructors and that was
how they liked it. If the group saw Jackson and Sawyer as ordinary
employees, they’d be more apt to be themselves and let their instructors see
who they really were.
One of the biggest reasons for the strenuous testing of all candidates
was to figure out exactly who they were, at their core. The people they
hired needed the correct temperament not only to do their jobs, but to deal
with two alpha co-owners running the show. Cooper glanced at Cade. “So,
after this round of testing is done and we make our hiring decisions, we’re
headed to California next week to work on the Kensington job and then
start looking at some real estate there.”
Cade chuckled. “The Kensington’s. What do they need? Didn’t we
just put their system in last year?”
Cooper smirked. “Listen, I’ll handle drumming up business and
getting new equipment and security contracts signed, controlling the press,
and running HR. I handle the details that you can’t be bothered with. I’m
the one that does the schmoozing, while you hide behind the scenes being
your grumpy, anti-social self. You need to keep that engineering brain of
yours humming on new ways to innovate with our security systems and
your military leadership skills for planning security details for our VIPs.
Not to mention creating the physical training programs for our new
recruits.”
 Cade raised his hands in supplication. “OK, OK. You get us the
business, and I’ll keep it. It’s worked for us so far.”
Cooper nodded, agreeing with Cade’s assessment. They watched as
the first two candidates took off in a race across the course. Cooper tilted
his head and raised a brow. “We’ll have enough time to see our families
while we’re in California. You’re going to see yours, right?”
Cade was confused by the question. “Yeah, of course. Why?”
Cooper shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “There’s no ‘of course’ about
it, man. I’ve been struggling to read you lately. It’s hard to read you on a
good day, but there’s just something... you’ve been off.”
Cade was surprised that it had shown. He was fairly adept at masking
his emotions, and the fact that Cooper had seen his, or rather his lack of
them, threw him off balance. He shook his head, but Cooper wasn’t having
it.
“Cade, I know you. I see the parts of you that you don’t share with
everyone else. Not because you share things with me, but because I’m
around you on a daily basis and have been for too many damn years.
Something’s going on with you. You’re not social to begin with, but lately,
even going out for beers with me, or Sawyer and Jackson, is such a rare
occurrence, I sometimes forget to ask you. Talk to me, man.”
Cade knew Cooper wouldn’t give up on this line of questioning.
Once he dug in, he was pretty much set on course unless a bomb went off
and caused a wrinkle in his plans. That wrinkle would only be a delay of the
inevitable, as he’d come back around again and dig until he got what he
wanted. He could hardly be upset by it. It’s exactly what got them contracts.
It’s what made Cooper, well, Cooper. They were opposites in so many
ways, and that’s why they’d become and remained best friends years earlier.
Cade took the leap.
 “I want to settle down. I want to get married and have kids. The guys
I’ve dated; I just can’t seem to find the right one. I feel like I’m spinning
my wheels. For a while, I’d go out on multiple dates with the same guys,
get to know them to make sure they weren’t the one. Then, I’d move on to
the next guy, and the next. Some of them were great guys; they just weren’t
the right guy. So I stopped, I gave up. It’s been months, and I feel like he’s
out there and I can’t fucking find him, or maybe that I’ll never find him. I
can’t figure out why I’m feeling like now is the time. I also can’t figure out
why the guys that I’ve dated, though great, don’t feel right to me.”
Cooper’s mouth hung open. Cade quirked a brow at his friend. “You
asked.”
Cooper shut his mouth and raised his own eyebrows. “You never talk
about yourself. The only time I’ve seen you do it is when you’re with your
family and they’re asking you questions. So yeah, I’m pretty damned
shocked that you’re talking about yourself right now, even though it’s with
me… but, I’m glad you are. It’s awesome that you’re ready to settle down.
I’m surprised, but more because you’re telling me about it, not because I
can’t see it.”
He smiled. “Because, Cade, I can see it, easily. I can see you married
with two point five kids and a dog. I can see that white, innocuous, picket
fence that you’d probably find some way to rig with security paraphernalia,
in order to protect what’s yours. Don’t deny it. You’re protective like no one
else I’ve ever known. It’s in your genes or your blood, or your parents
drilled it into you, but it’s there and it’s not going anywhere, and it’s exactly
why…. Exactly why you haven’t found him yet.”
Exasperated, Cade turned away from the windows and crossed his
arms across his chest. “What the hell are you talking about?”
 “McCade, you’ve dated ex-military guys, other men in the security
business, men you’ve met at the local fighters’ gym, and other alphas.
There was a cop and what was that other guy, a firefighter, right? You’re not
going to settle down with someone like that.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because while those men may have liked you, could have loved
you, it would never last, because they don’t need you. Just as innate as your
protective instinct is, so is that desire to be needed.”
“You think I’m needy and I should want a needy person?”
Cooper laughed. “I said nothing like that. Don’t turn my words
around so that you can feel less uncomfortable with my spot-on assessment
of you. You’re my fucking brother, in every way except blood, so yeah, I
know you. You need someone that needs your strength and likes, or craves,
your desire to protect and control. It’s my guess that you’re always a top.
It’s also my guess that the guys who bottom for you, do it when they
normally wouldn’t. You don’t need a top that turns bottom for you; you
need someone that is as natural at bottoming, as you are at topping. I think
the guy that’s going to capture your interest is going to be someone who is
extremely different from you.”
“How can something like that last?”
Cooper shook his head and chuckled. “It’ll last because you’ll be able
to provide what he needs, and he’ll do the same. You need to find someone
to take care of, someone to protect and, quite honestly, someone that allows
you to take control. You’re not going to get married to someone, spend the
rest of your life with someone without providing those things.”
Cade narrowed his eyes. “You think I need someone weak?”
Cooper’s brows drew together and he scoffed. “Are you deliberately
being obtuse? You could never be with someone who wasn’t strong and
brave. You wouldn’t respect them. However, just because someone is strong
as hell, doesn’t mean that strength is as physical as yours. The men you’ve
dated will eventually want to be the top. They won’t need you, and you
won’t have any desire to protect them, not to mention they won’t allow you
any control. Oh, and we haven’t even started talking about the kink.”
Cade laughed, incredulously. “What the fuck, Coop?”
Cooper smirked. “You keep operating under the assumption that I
don’t know you. All of those things I just mentioned: protective, the desire
to be needed, and the craving for some bit of control… you think I don’t
know you’re skating the edge of the BDSM lifestyle?”
Cade shook his head, exasperated. “You act like I’ve got whips,
chains, a spanking bench, and a St. Andrews Cross in a dungeon in my
basement. I’m not some leather-wearing BDSM Master going to a club with
a collar, handcuffs and a tawse hanging from my belt.”
It was Cooper’s turn to look incredulous. His mouth gaped open.
“What the fuck is a St. Andrew’s Cross and a tawse? Damn, Cade, I thought
you just liked a bit of slap and tickle, maybe a bit of bondage. You’re way
more into this stuff than I could have imagined. Just one more reason you
and I could never be in a relationship.”
Cade gave Cooper a sardonic look. “We could never be in a
relationship, because you’re too ugly. Oh, and you swing both ways. I need
someone who only swings my way… and, I don’t have any BDSM
equipment. I just know what most of it is. I’ve gone to a few fetish clubs,
but I’m too private of a person to want to meet someone in that setting. I’d
rather take someone to a club like that after we’ve established our
relationship boundaries. Yeah, if I was into the lifestyle more, I’d be the
Dom in the relationship, but it’s not something I’d want full time and it’s
not something that’s a deal breaker. If I was with someone that hated the
idea, I’d be fine without it.”
Cade paused, thoughtful. “You know, you’re the last person I ever
thought I’d be taking relationship advice from. I hate to admit it, but I think
you’re right. I think I’ve been looking for the wrong thing, or rather, for the
wrong kind of person. But I don’t know where the hell I’m gonna find this
type of guy. I’ve dated guys because they were interested in the same things
I’m interested in, so I’m not sure how to go about finding someone that
isn’t interested in those things. Seems the opposite of what one would try to
do, but hell, what I’ve been doing isn’t working, so I guess there must be
something to it.”
Cooper smiled. “Just keep yourself open to it. I think you’ll find it
when you least expect it and probably much sooner than you think. Now, it
looks like they’ve long since cleared the course. They should be done with
the written portion of the testing in 30 minutes or so, which gives us plenty
of time to get down there and get ready for the ring.”
Cade smirked. “Us, huh? All you’ll be doing is running your mouth
and looking pretty. I have to fight them all. See, this situation completely
encapsulates our working relationship. You bullshit your way through while
I do all the real work around here.”
Cooper laughed. “It’s been my master plan all along. Glad to see it’s
working.”
Cade made a rude sound in the back of his throat and shook his head.
As they walked he thought more about their discussion. He had to admit to
himself that Cooper was right. He truly did need someone who was
completely different from him. He didn’t share Cooper’s belief that he’d
find his soulmate anytime soon. The perfect man wasn’t just going to fall
into his lap. However, it felt good to know his outlook on it was no longer
as jaded, now that he realized he might’ve been looking for the wrong
thing. With the help Cooper had provided, he now had a more positive
attitude and could therefore afford to be patient. He had no idea how the
hell he’d find the type of guy that Cooper had described, but he’d have to
think on it and come up with a plan. He was good at making plans.
He walked into the locker room to change and get ready for the
coming fights. He easily shifted gears, compartmentalizing his personal
conversation with Cooper in order to get himself in the right mindset to take
part in eight individual fights with their interview candidates. They did this
for every single round of guardian interviewees. What the candidates didn’t
know was that only a small portion of their score was based on how well
they performed during the obstacle course and the fighting test. Even the
written portion of testing wasn’t just searching for the correct answer. They
were looking at the whole package of each individual. They wanted to see
who was quick to anger, who was quick to scare, who was quick to cheat,
and who was quick to take short-cuts, among other things.
When the candidates arrived bright and early on their first testing day,
they were asked to sign a contract that discussed the testing and interview
process. More than likely, the candidates had skimmed over the portions of
the contract that spelled out the possibility of any part of their testing being
recorded. They’d never had any questions or concerns brought up about that
section, which suited Cade just fine. The candidates were then asked to
change into tactical gear provided by Custos. The gear was equipped with
listening devices, so that Custos could hear everything that was said by
every interview candidate during the entirety of their testing. They weren’t
about to put the safety of the companies and civilians for which they
provided security, into the wrong hands.
 After the candidates finished the initial three tests that took up a good
portion of a day, those who passed came in for round two, which involved
further testing in weapons handling, an actual interview with Cooper and
Cade, and a psychological assessment. Later, a security simulation would
also be administered, putting each candidate through a round of rigorous
tests while the candidate was “protecting an asset”, to see how well each
candidate dealt with stress and if they could make split second decisions
while in the field.
As Cade got dressed, Sawyer approached and began to wrap his
hands in fighter’s tape. He waited out Sawyer’s silence. Cade knew his
friend hated it when he did that. When Cade’s hands were wrapped and he
was ready to head out to the ring, Sawyer looked up and Cade raised a
brow.
Sawyer huffed. “You’ve got a few possibles in this batch. Keep an
eye out for candidate Thompson. He’s been holding his cards close to his
vest most of the day, but they’ll pick up a bit on the mic later from a few
conversations he had with one or two of the guys. I’m assuming that he was
mostly making sexually explicit and derogatory remarks regarding
candidate Gardner. My bet is, just from this upcoming fight, you’re gonna
count him out of the running. He didn’t do anything overt that would make
me think he’s truly a threat, but there’s just something going on that I can’t
get a bead on. When I talked about the upcoming fight he looked just a little
too happy to be able to try to best you. My advice, don’t turn your back on
him in the ring. He won’t be able to beat you, of that, I’m certain, but I
don’t think the guy plays by the rules.”
Cade knew advice from Sawyer should not be taken lightly. He made
eye contact as he nodded, so his friend knew he’d taken every word
seriously. He glanced behind Sawyer and watched as Jackson approached.
“You’re both good to go for the day. Thank you for your help. If either of
you has something to report, besides what you just provided, Sawyer, you
can do it tomorrow. Toss something on our calendar and we’ll talk. We
won’t be making any decisions until we’ve listened to all of the audio and
Cooper and I have been able to get through all of the written tests.”
Sawyer glanced at Jackson, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Sawyer’s eyebrow lifted. “Mind if we observe the fights, sir?”
Cade sighed. “Cooper is just as much your boss as I am, and yet you
don’t call him sir.”
Sawyer didn’t smile, as Cade had assumed he would. “Cooper wasn’t
ever our captain, sir.”
“I’m no longer your captain. Knock it off.”
They both nodded. Sawyer’s response was automatic. “Yes, sir.”
Cade rubbed his taped hands over his face and sighed once more.
“Yeah, you can observe if you want.”
Both men nodded, and they all left the locker room, but hung back
and watched the gym from the locker room’s alcove. They heard Cooper
talking with the possible new recruits as they sparred with each other and
warmed up for the fights ahead. Cade knew Cooper would soon move on to
discuss the actual fights they’d all partake in with him, and he’d do his best
to both warn those who were rule followers and truly here for the right
reasons, and incite those who weren’t. He smiled to himself as he watched
each pairing. He could already glean who would be a small challenge, who
would pose no challenge at all, and who would end up embarrassed and
therefore very angry that he beat them.
If he was being honest, Cade loved this portion of the testing.
Everyone assumed, at this point, that they were here to try to beat Cade. No
one had ever been able to do so at Custos. He’d bested a trained MMA
fighter, a close personal friend of his and Cooper’s, and previous customer
of Custos. Cade knew he had skills many people did not have when it came
to fighting. From the age of four, he’d attended martial arts classes at a
professional dojo and taken to it like a fish to water. He was extremely
competitive, but even at an early age, hyper critical of himself, which he
learned to turn into a healthy competitive drive against his own bests,
keeping his focus inward, rather than outward.
Cade silently observed for a few more minutes, he took in as much as
he could, before the fights began. He tuned back into Cooper’s final
remarks, and made his way to the center ring. Once there, he put on his
headgear and mouth guard and warmed up a bit, aware that all eyes were
upon him. He kept his gaze on his partner and ignored those around him as
Cooper wound down.
“As you all know, we’ve made it to the third and final round of
today’s testing. Perhaps you’ve heard from those who have gone through
this test before, you’ll be fighting Zavier McCade. Let me give you some
free advice, kids, use your brain in that ring. Keep your head and your wits
about you. You need to understand going into this test that this fight is not a
challenge to see who can beat Cade. None of you can beat Cade. Let me
repeat that, so that you can understand it: none of you can beat Cade. I
know that some of you will ignore this advice and look at this as an
opportunity to prove your worth as a fighter, but as strange as it may seem,
that’s not what we’re interested in. I know that some of you are very well
aware of who Cade is and the idea of going up against him is too much of a
challenge to resist. Take my advice; resist. You’ll be glad you did.”
Cooper swept his gaze across the recruits, some of whom looked
skeptical. “Cade will not be fighting at 100%, meaning he will not be going
for a TKO. Knocking you out isn’t his goal here and quite frankly, wouldn’t
take much effort on his part. We want these matches to last. We want to see
your skills in the ring and we can do that very easily, as long as you keep
your head in the game and show us the breadth of your knowledge. Each of
you will fight Cade for five minutes; if you’re well versed in MMA, that’s
the length of one round. Because he will be fighting all eight of you, instead
of the usual one minute between fights, he will receive 90 seconds of
recovery time. First up will be candidate Brown.”
Cade kept his game face on as he tilted his head left and then right to
stretch it out and crack it. He rolled his shoulders and bounced on his feet a
few times as he shook out his arms. Hand to hand combat was his forte. He
fought two of the candidates without being impressed. They were both a bit
vanilla when it came to technique, and neither of them used any creativity
in their attacks. He didn’t need the 90 seconds before the next rounds, and
he knew just from fighting them that Custos wouldn’t be offering them a
job. While their guardians didn’t need to be professional fighters, they did
need to be quick and think outside the box. The third fighter was quite the
scrapper. He was average height, but very well built. He had a good floor
game, and Cade was somewhat impressed with several of his attempts to
get him in a hold. He was someone who would learn well, but always put
his own spin on things. Cade liked that.
Next up was candidate Gardner, and she had a wicked gleam in her
eyes as she surveyed him. He liked her immediately. She was fairly tall,
with sleek and well-honed muscles. He soon found out she was lightning
fast. As they tussled, he had to put more effort into their fight than he’d had
to with the first two men. She wasn’t trying to take him down, which
showed him that she’d listened to Cooper and had taken his advice. With
resourceful and creative moves, she kept him guessing.
 When their five minutes were up, her breath sawed in and out, and
she had to bend over and rest her hands on her knees. His breathing was
faster, and he’d finally broken a sweat. When she stood up she was grinning
from ear to ear.
“Damn, Mr. McCade, I haven’t had that much fun in a ring in a long
time. I look forward to you teaching me how to do that flip move that had
me on my back in about two seconds flat. Thank you for the experience.”
They shook hands, and he couldn’t stop a smile from forming at her
assurance that she’d make it to the end, and most likely get the chance for
some of that training. He nodded. “You did well. I look forward to training
you, if your other tests are as impressive as this one.”
Her grin got even wider as she turned and hopped down out of the
ring with more enthusiasm than she’d gotten into it, which was saying
something. Cooper was just about to signal another fighter to enter when
Cade heard a few uncomfortable chuckles and saw Thompson laugh and
poke one of the other men in the side with his elbow, as he mock whispered,
“I’d look forward to getting her on her back in two seconds flat, too.”
Cade narrowed his eyes imperceptibly at the asshole and was about to
speak up when Gardner made a choking noise while she laid a fluttering
hand on her stomach and one over her mouth. “Sorry, I think I just threw up
a little.”
Everyone laughed with her at Thompson’s expense and he got red in
the face, muttering, “Bitch”, under his breath.
Cade was even more impressed when she looked the jerk in the eye,
merely raised an eyebrow at Thompson, as if to say, “Is that all you could
come up with?” and stood her ground. She kept her shoulders straight and
head held high and added insult to injury as she turned her back on him,
letting him know she didn’t feel he was any type of threat.
 Cade made the decision right then and there to hire her and another
decision not to waste any more of their time or resources on Thompson. He
glanced at Cooper, raised a brow to see if his take was the same, and
received a nod in response. Cade looked at Sawyer and spoke a few words
in Dari the Persian dialect some members of his team had learned while on
deployment in Afghanistan. His words had Sawyer walking towards the
locker room to gather Thompson’s things. He didn’t want the asshole in
their building any longer than necessary. He made eye contact with
Thompson. “You’re dismissed.”
The man’s jaw dropped and he narrowed his eyes. “The fuck? Why?”
Cade’s perplexed expression spoke volumes to the onlookers. “Why?
It’s really not clear? I’d be willing to bet every single person in this room
could answer that question, so why is it that you can’t?”
Thompson sneered and crossed his arms over his chest. “What? Can’t
you people take a joke?”
“Oh, everyone here can take a joke quite well, I believe. They all
laughed when Gardner told everyone that your suggestion made her vomit
in her mouth.”
Done with the conversation, Cade turned to Cooper. “Who’s next?”
Cooper looked at the roster in his hand, and was about to answer
when Thompson interrupted. “Whatever, you’re just afraid to fight me.”
Cade’s only reaction was to raise a brow at the douche bag’s audacity.
His men didn’t say a word, but Cade could see they were fighting hard to
keep a straight face. The candidates collectively groaned, which amused
Cade no end. One of them spoke up. “Dude, you need to back off. Do you
know who this guy is? He and his team are still the standard that everyone
is held to when being trained for Special Forces. You’re gonna get messed
up. Are you fucking crazy?”
 “He’s a fuckin’ pussy, that’s who he is.”
“Come on then. You wanna fight me so badly, step into the ring.”
It was obvious that Thompson straight up believed he was a better
fighter; he wasn’t merely posturing. He got an excited gleam in his eyes,
and Cade could see the adrenaline puffing him up as he hopped up into the
ring. Cade centered himself and took a deep breath to reign in his
annoyance. He’d need to dispatch this guy quickly and get on with the rest
of the scheduled fights. He was frustrated that he’d let the idiot talk him
into this pissing contest to begin with. He’d never been one for public
humiliation, but the truth was, the asshole needed to be brought down a peg,
and Cade wasn’t one to let sexual harassment of any kind occur at his
company.
Cooper rang the bell for the fight to begin. Cade’s posture became
fluid and his muscles loosened to prepare for the upcoming bout. To
Thompson’s credit, the joker wasn’t a terrible fighter. He had some solid
training under his belt, but he was sloppy with it. He took shortcuts that
kept him unbalanced and slow on his feet. Cade parried several blows that
would have been solid hits, if he would use his head and keep his feet
moving as fast as his fists. Cade spent five minutes deflecting Thompson’s
blows and though his heart rate was up, he hadn’t put forth much effort to
take the guy down. Cooper rang the bell for the end of that round, and Cade
backed off and waited him out.
Thompson was bouncing up and down and shaking out his arms. He
looked like he had enough energy to go another round, so Cade kept his
mouth shut and waited for the bell to begin the second round. He wasn’t
going to waste his breath on the guy. He wasn’t worth it. He could tell his
reticence was getting under the guy’s skin because he started running his
mouth. “You’re supposed to be some big deal, you and your ‘legendary’
team. I don’t see it.”
He swung wild, distracted by his own diatribe. Cade sidestepped
easily and ignored the chatter.
“So far you haven’t really even tried to hit anyone hard or take them
down.”
Thompson tried an uppercut, and Cade’s eyes flashed as he caught his
hand on the upswing, but he kept the momentum going and gave a twist that
had his opponent turning into him with his arm curled up towards the
middle of his back. He tried to struggle out of Cade’s grasp and didn’t pay
attention to his legs, which were swept out from under him. Cade followed
him down to the ground and put his knee on his lower back and launched
himself off of him. He backed up, as Thompson, a look of pure hatred and
embarrassment shadowing his features, lunged and tried, quite
unsuccessfully, to tackle him back down to the mat. Cade waited him out as
he got up, again.
Cooper rang the bell, which was good, because Thompson looked
more than a little ragged at that point. Cade shook his head and finally
spoke, “You can stop right now. Leave here and you’ll most likely never see
anyone in this room ever again. This isn’t going to end well for you if you
continue pushing yourself past your limits.”
Thompson’s face was bright red from exertion and embarrassment.
“Fuck you, asshole!”
He charged toward Cade with more determination than sense. His
head was down and Cade took advantage of his attack position, wrapped his
upper arm around Thompson’s neck, slipped his forearm under Thompson’s
chin against his throat and grabbed Thompson’s wrist with his free hand.
Cade kept his arms locked around Thompson’s neck, used the guy’s
momentum and fell with him, into his guard position. Cade crossed his legs
around Thompson’s waist, drove his hips lower, and put pressure on his
throat with his wrist and finished the guillotine chokehold on him.
Thompson struggled and Cade pulled tighter around his neck, causing the
man to whimper and finally submit by tapping out.
Cade immediately released his grip on Thompson’s neck. The man
pushed himself away, using Cade’s chest as leverage, and scrambled
backward like a crab. Cade thought for sure he’d stand and try to come at
him again, until he realized the man had been so scared he’d pissed himself.
Cade moved to help him up, regretting that their sparring had deteriorated
so quickly, but Thompson continued his backward momentum. He scooted
himself down and out of the ring, successfully camouflaging his accident
from the others, if not from Cade. On his way towards the exit, he hung his
head in shame and embarrassment, but shoved a couple of the other
candidates out of the way, trying to gain back some of his lost pride. As he
neared the back door he almost attempted to push Sawyer, but must have
thought better of it. Sawyer held out Thompson’s backpack and he grabbed
it and ran.
Cade made eye contact with Sawyer and spoke again in Dari. “Make
sure he’s alright and that he leaves the premises. He’s humiliated enough
that he’ll either hide or lash out. When we finish today, I want you to follow
Gardner home and make sure Thompson isn’t waiting around offsite
somewhere to do the same.”
Sawyer nodded and left the building, followed quickly by Jackson.
Cade settled his eyes on the rest of the group. “I’m sorry you had to witness
that. Here at Custos we don’t tolerate the type of behavior he was
displaying. Cooper, let’s continue.”
 There was nothing to do but finish the remainder of the testing. He
looked at Cooper, who nodded and called the next guy into the ring. That
fight was more like the first couple, but the two after that impressed him
greatly. He saw potential in both candidates and enjoyed their different
fighting styles. Overall he was happy with their take of possible recruits this
round. He began to unravel the fighting tape on his hands.
Cooper looked over the remainder of the group. “We’ll be in touch to
let you know if you’ve made it to the next round of testing. Thank you for
coming in to participate today.”
As everyone made to leave the gym, Cade pointed to Gardner. “You
watch yourself. He’s not blaming his dismissal and subsequent
embarrassment on himself. That would mean he admits to his own failures,
and we both know people like that never own up to their shit.”
Gardner nodded. “Yeah, I figured as much. I’ll be vigilant. Thanks.”
Cade shook her proffered hand, and she headed to the women’s
locker rooms to change and go home. Cooper let him know he was going up
to finish some paperwork and Cade assured him that he’d stay and make
sure everyone got out of there without issue. He hopped on a treadmill,
turned the speed and incline up, and spent the better part of an hour burning
off the remainder of his anger at Thompson and at himself for letting the
situation get out of hand. When he was done, he showered and changed in
the locker room and went home.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden pricked his finger for the third time that day. He’d been
testing out a new ginger scone recipe, and there was more sugar in his
system than normal, so he needed to test his glucose levels more often and
adjust his insulin injections with a correction dose, accordingly. Ever since
he’d woken up he’d felt off. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he’d felt
off for weeks now. He didn’t want to think too much on the whys of it, so
he took his adjusted insulin dose, pulled his blondish brown, shoulder
length hair back in a leather thong, washed his hands and headed back to his
kitchen. He was at home there, like nowhere else really, and after a few
deep breaths, he got back to it.
He was always testing new recipes and trying them out with the
customers. Sometimes he asked their regulars to taste test new muffins,
scones, or other sweet treats and give their feedback on what was the best
and should be on the regular menu. He liked to change things up, quite
often. He updated his recipes with the seasons, of course, but in addition to
that, he changed out the whole menu several times during any given season.
He had no formal training, except the time that he spent at his
grandmother’s side while he was growing up. He learned everything he
knew about baking from her. He knew from a very young age that baking
was her passion, and she was a natural at it. As soon as he was old enough
to stand on a stool next to the kitchen counter, he was there by her side,
proving he had the same natural talent. His grandmother and grandfather
raised him because his mother, newly graduated from high school, had died
during childbirth from a brain aneurism. His father had hightailed it out of
town as soon as he heard the news that he was going to have a kid. His
grandparents were young when they had their daughter, and their daughter
was young when she had him; so it turned out that his grandparents were
the same age as some of his friend’s parents, which meant their makeshift
family didn’t feel that strange.
Several hours later, he was in the middle of making a batch of
cranberry almond muffins and daydreaming about his past, when Maya
bustled into his kitchen with a cup of coffee, ordering him to drink up.
“Have you tested your levels in the last couple hours?”
“Yes, ma’am, I have, and thanks for the coffee.”
She hopped up on his kitchen stool and leaned back against the
counter. The pose would have been provocative, had she been trying and
had he been the receptive type--though she hadn’t been, and he wasn’t. His
Maya was a short little thing, but she was curvy with a flawless peaches and
cream complexion. She was his best friend and business partner, not to
mention he was gay, so while he had never been even remotely attracted to
her, he knew she was gorgeous with very little effort on her part. Even in
her work attire of the cafe’s t-shirt and her skinny white capris, she was
beautiful.
Their business, the Sugar n’ Spice Café, fit right into their little
neighborhood row of shops. Maya had been a barista in college, and she’d
always secretly wanted to open her own coffee shop once she was out of
school. One night, while they were drinking entirely too much Two Buck
Chuck from Trader Joe’s, she’d let slip what she wanted, thinking it was
rather silly and she’d eventually get over it. Braden had immediately
latched onto her idea and told her he’d always wanted to become a baker
when he was done with school.
That had been the beginning of their combined dream, which had
inadvertently helped them both decide to become business majors. They
spent freshman year getting to know each other, studying together, and
making a business plan, which they solidified by senior year. Less than a
year after graduation, they opened Sugar n’ Spice, thanks to a lot of hard
work, long days and nights, and a series of lucky breaks, including the cafe
location opening up and their ability to put down a large down payment on
the loan, which expedited the approval. Word quickly spread in the
neighborhood about Braden’s decadent pastries and Maya’s artistic
espressos and specialty drinks, and before long, the cafe bustled with
customers.
Braden put down the coffee she’d brought in and finished what he
was working on. He set the timer for the muffins and cleaned up his
workspace. After a while, he realized she wasn’t going to give him back his
privacy, and he lifted a brow in silent inquiry until she huffed out a breath
and sat up.
“I’m worried about you, Bray.”
“Worried enough to leave the floor to Lala?”
She snorted out a laugh. “It’s Layla, and you damned well know it.
She’s getting better. More confident, less spacey, I swear. And it’s 2 p.m., so
it’s dead right now… but yes, I’m that worried.”
He gazed over at her and could see she was telling the truth. He knew
that look in her eyes. If he didn’t cut her off at the pass, she’d go full-
fledged mama bear on his ass, and at that point he was hanging on by a very
thin thread and didn’t have the energy for the whole routine.
“Look, I don’t know…”
 “Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about, Bray.”
“Baby girl, I was going to say, I don’t know what’s going on with me.
I’m in some sort of a funk, and I’m trying to wrap my mind around it.”
She harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, we need
to figure it out, because I don’t like it, and I want to fix it.”
“I don’t like it much myself, but I’m not quite sure it’s going to be an
easy fix.”
She sighed and slipped off the stool and into his arms. For a little
thing, she could hug the stew out of him, and he loved her all the more for
her concern and affection. She was the touchy feely type, and she brought
that side out of him as well. So much so that people had often commented
they were a cute couple, because they would often stroll hand in hand when
they were out in public or be caught hugging or touching in some other
way. They’d known each other since their first day of college, freshman
year, nearly nine years ago. They’d met in their Business 101 class, after
she’d tripped on someone’s bag in his row and landed nearly face first in his
crotch.
He’d immediately taken to her when she snorted out a laugh while
still face down in his denim. With an, “It’s so nice to meet you,” to his dick,
and then an, “Oh, you too,” to his face, he couldn’t resist her playfulness.
He remembered how rosy her cheeks had gotten in her embarrassment but
how he’d immediately loved her sense of humor.
He’d responded with, “Well, you’re not really our type, if you catch
my drift, but we’re both still very happy to meet you, and we’d love for you
to sit next to us and chat before class starts.”
She’d laughed at that and taken him up on his offer. By the time that
first class was over, he knew they’d be friends for years to come.
 Coming back to the present, he squeezed her tight, kissed the top of
her head and shrugged. “I’ll figure my shit out, eventually. Until then, I’ll
probably be a bit broody and play loud music and stay away from Lala as
much as possible.”
“That is why we kept the kitchen far enough away from the front,
hmm?”
“What, my orneriness? I reckon that’s reason enough to have the
kitchen away from the customers. That and the fact that I don’t like people,
other than you, baby girl, and I feel more comfortable in a kitchen than
anywhere else in the world. Having it somewhat removed from the hustle
and bustle of others probably keeps us both sane, don’t you think? You no
more want me talking to customers than I want you touching my whisks.”
Smirking, she grabbed his face in her hands and placed a smacking
kiss on his lips. “I think it’s been far too long since someone’s touched your
whisk. Not to mention, you just said more to me in the last ten minutes than
you have in a week. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to
distract me from the reason I came back here to begin with. Maybe you
need to get laid, Bray.”
“Christ on a crutch, Maya, don’t start with that shit.” Just thinking
about trying to start dating again made him feel a bit sick to his stomach.
He’d resigned himself to being alone; perhaps not forever, but for the
foreseeable future. He was utterly unlucky in love, and he had enough on
his plate right now without adding anything else to the mix.
“No listen, I think it would be good…”
“Don’t, Maya. You know I’m no good with one night stands. I’m not
ready for anything romantic either.” He’d escaped from an abusive
relationship by the skin of his teeth, a little over a year ago. That, coupled
with the other short relationships he’d had in his life, warned him away
from trying anything these days. The problem with that was he was lonely.
He might not feel ready for anything romantic, but that didn’t mean he
didn’t miss it, that feeling of coupledom. He was a complete introvert, so he
wasn’t big on social situations, but he had always loved the feeling of being
in a relationship, even though he’d never really had a good one. He loved
coming home to someone or someone coming home to him.
As much as he didn’t like people in general, he loved taking care of
the small group of people he did let into his inner circle. His grandmother
had always called him a romantic, though he wasn’t sure that the
description fit. He just knew he preferred being with someone to being
without; which is why this self-induced dry spell was hard in the first place.
It didn’t feel natural, his being alone, yet he didn’t want to chance fate
again, at least not for a little while longer. The look in Maya’s face said that
she didn’t like his answer or didn’t believe it.
“I think you’re ready, but you’re scared. It’s been well over a year
now, Bray. You know damned good and well most guys are not like Eric.
He was awful, and I know I don’t know half of what he did to you. What I
do know is that he was mentally abusive, physically intimidating, and he
was extremely jealous of our friendship and did his best to push me out of
your life. I have a feeling that if I knew the extent of what he did to you, I’d
probably want to kill him, or at least have Cooper kill him.”
Braden mentally rolled his eyes. He loved his best friend to
distraction, but when she got into her protective mode, she could be
overbearing. It probably ran in the family. Her brother was a Green Beret in
the Army. Braden didn’t know what that entailed, if he was being honest
with himself, but he knew it wasn’t a cakewalk and that being in Special
Forces was no joke. Maya’s pride in her brother wasn’t misplaced.
 Braden had met Cooper several times over the years, though he
hadn’t spent much time with the man, one on one. He was much like his
sister; gorgeous, kind, gregarious, loyal, and protective. They were both
talkers, lookers, and go-getters. Maya was the “face” of the Sugar n’ Spice
Café, while Cooper was the “face” of the security company he co-owned.
They were charismatic and social and they drew people in, which was a
very useful tool to have in your back pocket, when owning or co-owning
your own business.
Braden sighed. “There’s no need for you, or your soldier-boy brother,
to kill anyone. My relationship with Eric is over and has been for a long
time. I’m over it.” OK, that wasn’t true, but it felt good to say. The truth
was that he wanted to be over the relationship, desperately, and he was
annoyed that Maya could see the truth.
Maya shook her head. “Honey, you’re not over it, because you
haven’t moved on. I think it’s time for you to start dating again. Not
counting the last several weeks of funk, you’ve been more like your old
self, your pre-Eric self, lately. I’m so grateful for that.”
Braden rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead. “Yeah, I get
it, I do. I know where you’re coming from, but I don’t think I’m ready like
you seem to think I am. I can’t trust my judgment, not with my track
record.”
Maya put her hands on her hips in frustration. “Track record? Are
you kidding me right now? You had no way of knowing what kind of guy
Eric was. He fooled us both, for a long ass time. Only when you moved in
together did things start changing. You were seeing him for several months
before that happened, and he seemed great, even to me. You are not to
blame, Braden!”
 “Easy, mama bear. You never liked him, and I guess I should have
paid more attention to that fact, as you’re a much better judge of character
than I am, obviously. The reality is, before Eric there was Owen, and before
Owen there was Nick. Don’t you see the pattern there? I see it clear as day,
and it spells out my utter inability to pick someone suitable for me. I don’t
want the stress of it all. It’s not worth it. It just never seems worth it.” What
he didn’t say was that he was pathetic, and too scared to try to move on. He
didn’t trust his judgment, that was completely true, but he also felt too
paralyzed with the fear of disappointment and the possibility he might end
up with another Eric, to make any sort of move to find someone new.
In all of those relationships, he’d actually been the one to approach
the men and hit on them. Sure, he was an introvert, but what he knew about
himself was that he didn’t like being alone and felt better when he had
someone in his life, so in order to get that, he’d made the decision, once he
went to college, that he would go after what he wanted to get him where he
wanted to be, which was in a committed relationship. He’d had that kind of
confidence back then and approaching and flirting with men was hard and
took guts, but the end justified the means. Now though, now he no longer
felt that confidence.
“Your happiness is worth it, Braden. Eric was a psycho, but Owen
and Nick just weren’t right for you. There was nothing really that wrong
with them. They were both just macho dudes, and neither of them were
ready for a serious relationship. That just makes them stupid, immature
jackasses, not bad judgment calls.”
“The fact that one of them cheated on me, the other completely lost
interest and just up and left one day, and the last one nearly killed me
doesn’t speak well of my track record, OK? So, can we just drop this
discussion, please? My head is killing me, and I’m grumpy as fuck now, so
I need you to back off before I blow a gasket!”
He’d been pacing back and forth and finally stopped to look at her.
She had tears in her eyes, a trembling hand covering her mouth. Fuck! He
didn’t think he was that harsh. What had he said?
She whispered, “Nearly killed you?”
A tear slid down her cheek, as he grabbed her in a tight embrace. Oh
fuck him sideways, he didn’t mean for that to slip.
“I didn’t mean that literally, Maya. I just meant he was sucking the
life out of me. He didn’t want me baking at home, because that was ‘our
time’. He didn’t want me seeing you, because that was also ‘our time’. I
never dressed right or said the right things. I’m not going to lie to you and
tell you he never got violent, and you already know that, but I’m going to
spare you the details and just assure you that I was never in danger of him
killing me. I didn’t mean it like that and I’m sorry I used those words. As
soon as he began knocking me around, and I understood that it wasn’t going
to stop, I got out of there as quickly as I could manage it. However, I’m still
not confident in my ability to choose a guy that’s good for me, so until then,
I’d rather just steer clear of relationship entanglements.”
There were a couple things he failed to mention during this
conversation. One was that the only real reason Eric let him leave when and
how he did was because he had filmed Eric attacking him that final day. He
had an insurance policy that made it very hard for Eric to threaten his way
back into his life. Eric had a high profile job, and he knew when he had to
step back or risk his livelihood with the truth coming out.
What he also failed to mention to her is what worried him the most. It
scared him to death that he was attracted to Eric’s type. He was attracted to
the macho, physically imposing, tough guy. It’s just how he was built, both
physically and mentally. Braden was 5’9” and slim, or what some might
call slight. He had a runner’s body because he was just that, a runner.
Perhaps it was because he was small in stature that he’d always seek out
someone much bigger and stronger than he was. He wanted a mate that
could protect him if needed--funny how that had royally backfired on him.
He knew that if he tried to begin a new relationship with the type he was
actually attracted to, he would be facing the real possibility of getting
himself into another Eric situation. Frankly, he’d had enough of that to last
him a lifetime.
None of it really mattered, anyway. She didn’t need to know the
details of his insurance policy and if she was smart, which she was, she
already knew his type from his past relationships. It didn’t take a genius to
see that all of the men he’d dated were big, muscular tough guys. One of
them hadn’t even been out of the closet, for fuck’s sake. Yeah, he sure knew
how to pick ‘em.
She watched him closely, and he knew from the look on her face that
she knew when to retreat and come around from the other side at a later
date. He could see her planning her next sneak attack as they stared each
other down. “I’ll let this conversation go, for now. Just know that we’ll be
discussing this again, and soon. Now, I can see the headache written all
over your face. I’m assuming ibuprofen will do because you don’t look like
you’re gonna keel over with a migraine.”
He nodded while he smirked at her. She shrugged, knowing that he
knew enough about her to know her tactics, which is mostly the reason why
she spelled them out so blatantly for him to begin with, he was sure. She
walked over to a corner cabinet and proceeded to pour out a couple
ibuprofen from the giant bottle he kept there. She walked back over to
Braden, picked up the forgotten coffee and held them both out to him. He
took them from her and kissed her on the forehead, before tossing back the
pills with the caffeine.

Maya loved being in business with her best friend. It took some time
in the beginning, but the running of the cafe was now a well-choreographed
dance. They managed to balance their passion for their work, with the hum
drum daily aspects of running a successful business. They played to each
other’s strengths and the fact that they were both workaholics meant that
neither of them shirked their responsibilities. There were things they split
equally, and things they let the other person handle.
Maya had to break up her daily routine so that she didn’t get bored,
whereas Braden was very happy to stay in the kitchen all day, baking all of
the pastries for the café. He also did his own side jobs, such as specialty
cakes and desserts to order, though, much to her amusement, he was picky
with what he chose to take on. So help anyone that asked him to make a
damned cupcake. Maya chuckled thinking about how much he hated
cupcakes and all the froufrou TV shows that celebrated them.
Maya was the “face” of their venture. She was a natural at her role
and loved what she did every day. She handled not only the front of the
cafe, with some help from her part time staff, but she also did all of their
advertising and promotional sales.
It was her day to place orders for the cafe. Braden placed his own
orders whenever he needed more stock. Layla handled the front during a
lull, and Maya sat in the back office finalizing her order with their
distributor. She printed out her invoice and started looking for their monthly
invoice folder. It was usually on top of the desk. After a thorough search,
she couldn’t find it. She checked her own desk drawers and was still unable
to locate the damned thing. She opened up one of Braden’s drawers, saw the
folder and yanked it out of there. She didn’t have a firm grip on it, however,
and all of the invoices for that month fell out onto the floor.
Cursing her bad luck, she sent the rolling chair flying on its castors
and knelt on her hands and knees to pick them all up. What she had first
thought were invoices she soon realized were some personal notes and
letters. Figuring she’d just happened upon the wrong folder and must have
found one of Braden’s folders filled with customer notes and requests, she
quickly shuffled what she’d dropped back into the folder and was about to
put it back in his drawer when the note on top caught her interest. It was
written on the back of one of their custom order sheets that they kept out
front for the customers. It caught her eye because of the bold, manly, all-
capital script.

“What the fuck?” Her heartbeat sped up and her breath quickened.
She started shuffling through the other notes and letters, hoping that this
was the only creepy one in the lot. What she found had her blood running
cold and her hands shaking. There were dozens of little notes, long love
letters, receipts, newspaper clippings with news about their business and
other things she didn’t get to. Walking on legs that didn’t feel quite strong
enough to get her where she needed to go, Maya carried the folder out to
the kitchen and placed it on the countertop next to Braden, with shaking
hands.
“When were you going to tell me about these, Bray?” Her words
were no more than a whisper, and she sat down on the stool next to her best
friend before she collapsed in a heap. She gaped up at him with eyes wide
as saucers and her face devoid of color.
“What the hell are you doing, going through my drawers, Maya?”
Braden’s voice was strained, both angry and defensive at once.
“Are you fucking kidding me with that bullshit? I was looking for the
invoice folder and couldn’t find it anywhere, so I looked in your drawer.
You know damned well that you move that stupid folder around every time
you put something in it. It’s not the first time I’ve had to look in your
drawers to find it, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. All of that is beside the
point, Braden. What the fuck is going on? Who is writing these letters? You
have a stalker, and you don’t even mention it? How long has this been
going on? How long have you been keeping this from me? Have you called
the cops? Has this guy tried to hurt you? Is it Eric? Is he…”
“Maya, it’s nothing. It’s not Eric. Really, it’s just some guy that’s
trying to get under my skin. I don’t know who it is. It doesn’t matter. It’s
not a big deal. I’m just ignoring it.”
“Ignoring it! Ignoring it? What the fuck, Braden? What the fucking
fuck are you talking about, ignoring it? This guy is a psycho! You can’t
ignore someone like this, Braden! They kidnap you and lock you in their
dungeon in the basement and lower your food down to you in a bucket on a
string! They cut off your skin to make a Braden suit! You don’t ignore a
fucking psycho, Braden!”
 “Calm down, Clarice.” Braden tried for levity, but she wasn’t having
it.
Face turning red, tears in her eyes, Maya lost it. “This isn’t a fucking
joke, Braden Cross! I’m calling the cops!”

OceanofPDF.com
 Layla had just finished a cappuccino order when the bell on the front
door chimed. She glanced up to see who her new customers were, and the
smile on her face faltered when the two biggest and hottest men she’d ever
seen walked into the place. She nearly bobbled the coffee order while trying
to pass it over to Mrs. Newton, the little old lady who stopped by on a
weekly basis for her cappuccino and scone.
“If only I was forty years younger,” Mrs. Newton whispered
conspiratorially. “I’ve never had a threesome!” Bobbing her eyebrows at
Layla, Mrs. Newton shuffled over to her favorite table by the window and
didn’t even pretend to ignore the sexy men walking up to the counter. Layla
was so struck dumb by Mrs. Newton’s threesome comment that her mouth
hung open, and she didn’t realize she’d been staring, and practically
drooling at the two guys for enough time to have them both smirking. The
taller one with short, dark hair and a scruffy bearded face, with muscles on
top of his muscles and both arms covered with intricate designs in black
ink, leaned on the glass pastry case with an amused expression. The other
one had blond messy hair, and was the shorter of the two, shorter meaning
he was only 6’2” against the taller guy’s 6’6”, raised his eyebrow in silent
inquiry.
“Threesome,” Layla accidentally muttered and turned beet red when
she heard Mrs. Newton choke on her coffee while inhaling what she
supposed was a snort of laughter.
“Hmmm, what was that?” The messy blond asked.
 “OH MY GOD! Nothing! I didn’t say that. I didn’t.”
“I think you did, sweetheart. I think you said threesome. Coop, didn’t
she just say threesome?” Tattooed tall guy grinned.
“I think she did, McCade. I think…”
Suddenly, Layla heard Maya yelling from the kitchen. She was about
to apologize for the commotion when the one called Coop launched himself
over the countertop and jogged into the back.
“You can’t go back there, sir!” Flustered, Layla waved her hands in
front of her face.
“It’s alright, sweetheart. Cooper is Maya’s big brother, and he’s not
too keen on her being so upset, so he’s just checking on her. Hold the fort
up here while we go see what the problem is.”
With a wink, the guy named McCade took the long way around the
counter and ambled into the back towards the kitchen, leaving Layla wide
eyed and mouth agape.

Braden glanced over Maya’s shoulder as her brother Cooper raced

into the kitchen, most likely to see what had caused his sister to lose her
shit. Braden raised a brow as Maya ignored Cooper’s arrival, so he did the
same and met her narrowed eyes with his own. “You are not calling the
cops, Maya.”
“Oh, you bet your skinny ass I’m calling the cops! Braden, don’t be
stupid, we have to do something about this!”
He gritted his teeth. “There is no ‘we’ in this situation, Maya. This is
my problem and I’ll deal with it!”
 Maya threw her hands up in the air. “You’re doing nothing! You’re
not dealing with it at all! You have a psycho stalker calling himself
‘Handsome Stranger’ and harassing the shit out of you! I didn’t even read
most of these freaky ass letters. Braden, has he threatened you, too? Called
you? Doing nothing isn’t an option!”
“What seems to be the problem here, Coop?”
Braden’s head whipped around toward the sound of that deep
gravelly voice. He did a double take when he laid wide, disbelieving eyes
on the tallest, finest male specimen he’d ever seen. He just about lost his
train of thought, until he looked back at Maya and remembered he’d been
about to warn her against opening her big mouth. He narrowed his eyes at
her. “Don’t do it, Maya. Don’t even think about it. This is my business.”
“I’m telling them, Bray, they can help us. Braden, what if it was me?”
She whispered it, and he could hear in her voice that she was nearly crying
now. “What if someone were sending me these notes, leaving these things
for me, scaring me? What would you tell me to do?”
“It’s not the same thing, Maya! I can take care of myself if I need to,
but I won’t need to. This is all just some silly prank. It’s not a big deal.
Don’t make it out to be bigger than it is.” He began to gather up all of the
nasty evidence and stuff it inside the folder when Maya’s shaking hand
rested on his. He looked into her pleading eyes as her tears fell and sighed,
resigned.
Leaving everything where it was, he shrugged off his apron and
tossed it on the floor. “Do what you want Maya, you’re going to anyway.
I’m going running.”
They all watched him leave and Cade spoke up. “Does he need
someone to run with him? Is he in immediate danger?”
 “I don’t know. I don’t think so. You probably couldn’t keep up with
him, so I think we just need to wait for him to get back.”
Cade raised a brow at her comment about keeping up with the smaller
man. He tried not to be insulted with Cooper’s sister’s take on his physical
stamina.
Maya huffed out a laugh. “Look, we’ve never met, but from your
height, I’d be willing to bet you’re McCade. I’ve heard a lot about you. I
know you’re ex-military, Special Forces even, like my brother, and you’re
in all sorts of great shape, I can see that for myself, but you’re almost a foot
taller than him and you’re built like a brick shit house. You wouldn’t be
able to keep up with Braden when he’s in a mood and needs to run. I don’t
know anyone that could. He runs marathons for fun and once signed up for
an ultra-marathon for shits and giggles, just to see if he could do it, which
he did, and a number of times since. You guys may be tough as shit, but
he’d beat you both in distance running without breaking a sweat, OK? No
insults meant, just facts.”
“OK, I’ll give you that, but if you think he needs someone with him, I
can follow in our car.”
“No. Not only would it piss him right off, but he needs time right
now to get over his anger. He has anxiety and stresses about everything and
because he does, he has to run twice a day to help himself relax. As much
as I’m worried about him, I think he’s OK to run in broad daylight.
However, I need you guys to look at this stuff. He’s got dozens of letters,
notes, receipts, paper clippings, just tons of crazy shit from some guy
calling himself ‘Handsome Stranger’. Bray thinks it’s no big deal, or at least
that’s what he’s saying, but, I know him, and he’s worried. I think he’s been
getting these for weeks. He’s been in a really deep funk lately. I thought it
was just him needing to move on and start dating; his last abusive
relationship with that asshole, Eric, ended over a year ago. But now that
I’ve seen these, I think he’s really getting scared and doesn’t want to admit
it.”
Cooper hugged his sister. “I’m glad we’re here then, sunshine.”
“Yeah, about that, what the hell, Coop? You walk into our kitchen as
if you live down the block and are just stopping in. What are you doing
here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up
at the airport!”
Cooper chuckled and shrugged. “I wanted to surprise you. Cade and I
have a job over here that should be relatively quick and painless, and we
both thought a nice little trip to San Fran wouldn’t be so bad. Cade is from
here, so he’ll be able to see his family, and I’ll get to see you. Win, win.”
“I’m glad you’re here. Maybe I’ll hire you to help figure out who this
psycho is and help protect Braden. I know he’ll freak the fuck out even
knowing I’m thinking about any sort of protection or investigation, but I
think after you see what’s here, you’ll think this is as serious as I think it
is.”
“Let’s have a look and we’ll see what we think. If we decide to take
the case, you know your money’s no good with us,” Cade responded as
nonchalantly as he could. He didn’t want either sibling to see his interest in
the situation. All it had taken was one look at Maya’s business partner,
Braden, and he knew he’d have a hard time keeping himself from getting in
too deep.
He didn’t understand his body’s physical response. Yes, Braden was
gorgeous, but he wasn’t anything like the men Cade had dated in the past.
Apparently that didn’t matter. They hadn’t even been properly introduced
and he already couldn’t get the image of the younger man out of his mind.
As soon as he’d walked into the kitchen his heart had started to race and he
experienced tunnel vision like never before. Cade had a nearly irresistible
urge to take care of him and ensure his safety, and the feeling was
completely foreign to him.
He was lucky all eyes were on Braden at the time and that no one had
focused on him. Had they seen his face, they’d have seen the way he’d
zeroed in on Braden like there was a magnetic pull. He hadn’t had an
immediate attraction to anyone like this in a long time and probably never
this strong. His first reaction came to him, before he even knew that Braden
was gay. The man was lean, long haired, green eyed, and beautiful. Cade
was working mental gymnastics to try to reel in his reaction, slow down his
protective instincts and just cool his jets. He had a feeling it was going to be
a losing battle.
They began shuffling through the folder and looking at the notes and
letters written to Braden. There was a lot to go through and it took quite a
bit of time. The more they looked at all of the papers, the more it looked
like there was one deranged motherfucker after Braden. Maya moved aside
to give them enough room to see everything. It wasn’t good, but instead of
feeling panic with every written word, a strange calm came over Cade. It
was the same calm that had saved his life and the lives of his unit many
times in combat situations. In his mind he was already on protection detail;
it was only a matter of convincing Maya and Cooper that it was necessary
and that he was the right one for the job.
It turned out he needn’t have worried. Cooper took one look at him,
nodded his head and spoke his sister. “Sunshine, I’m not trying to scare
you, but both Cade and I agree that there’s definitely a case here. This guy
is unbalanced and there’s no telling how quickly he’s going to escalate. It
seems like the best course of action is for me to work on the Kensington
case and get it ironed out quickly, so that I can come back and help deal
with this. Cade will be taking lead. We need to call the cops to at least alert
them of the situation, so it’s all on record.”
“Agreed, but this is mine.” Cade interjected, his gruff voice alerting
Cooper to his personal involvement. Cooper peered up at his best friend
with narrowed eyes for several long, drawn out seconds. Cooper’s eyebrows
popped up quickly in surprise, so quickly others would have missed it, but a
second later his expression was once again neutral. In that second, there
was no need for words. Cooper knew that somehow this case had become
important to Cade and that he was taking this very seriously and very
personally. Cade knew they might be having a conversation about this later,
but for now, Cooper would leave it in his hands without further questions.
Cooper tilted his head and regarded him. “I’ll get in contact with Mrs.
Kensington tomorrow morning, first thing. See if I can get in and out in
several days after upgrading their system, so that I can come back to help
on this.”
Cade nodded and Cooper glanced at his sister. “Sunshine, when
Braden returns, do you think he’ll be more likely to be cooperative about
this? We need him to be with us on this. It won’t be possible for us to
protect him and figure out what’s going on if we don’t have his involvement
and agreement.”
“I don’t know. I hope so. Running usually gets him back into a good
head space, so I think our best chance is to talk to him after he’s been able
to shower and eat someth…. Oh shit!” In that moment her gut twisted when
her eyes lit upon Braden’s testing kit. She began to frantically pat down her
pockets and ran towards the phone attached to a wall mount by the door
into the kitchen.
Cade watched in tense silence while she dialed a number and waited.
“Come on, answer. Answer, Braden!”
 Cade didn’t like the panicked look in her eyes. She hung up and
called again--cursing under her breath. He gripped the countertop so hard
his knuckles turned white.
“Oh thank god, Braden! Are you alright? Where are you? I just saw
your kit. When did you test last?” She paused and listened. “OK, good. Do
you need me to come and get you? I can get in the car right now if you’re
too far out. Oh, alright, that’s close. See you soon. I’m so sorry, Braden. I
know. I love you too, bye.”
She took a shuddering breath and raised teary eyes to theirs. This
situation was taking a toll on her, and Cade watched as Cooper moved to
her side, hugging her to him. “He hasn’t eaten in a while. His blood sugar
levels were fine when he last tested, but he should have eaten something
before he ran. He turned around early when he realized and is already
coming back. He should be here soon. I’m gonna put together a couple
sandwiches for him, so if you guys are hungry, I can put some together for
you as well.”
“He’s type 1? Do we need to get him? What the hell was he
thinking?” Cade tried hard not to let his frustration with Braden show but
knew he hadn’t been successful. If this was how he took care of himself,
they were eventually going to have to discuss it.
Wait. What? Where had that come from? He reined in his emotions
because he knew how he sounded, and he hadn’t even officially met the guy
yet. These possessive and protective feelings were completely unfounded,
but damned if he could stop them. He looked up and saw the tiny flash of
annoyance in Maya’s eyes.
“Yes, he’s type 1 and has a very good handle on it. No, we don’t have
to go get him. He’s actually just a few minutes out. Today is not the norm.
He would usually never put himself in danger of having an insulin spike or
drop for any reason. He’s not prone to acting without thinking. In fact, just
the opposite, he usually over thinks everything to death, mostly internally,
which is why he’s always stressed out, but occasionally he’ll talk things
over with me. I think he’s probably been ruminating on this for weeks and
finally came to the same conclusions we did, but he didn’t like me pushing
it on him before he’d made his decision. I think he’ll come around. He
already sounded better on the phone.”
Hands freshly washed, she pulled out sandwich fixings from the sub-
zero walk-in refrigerator and put together seven sandwiches. She knew all
the men would eat them and possibly leave her one, if she was lucky. She
grabbed the phone by the door again and dialed up to the front of the cafe.
“Hey, Layla, I’m so sorry. How are you doing up there?” Maya
listened to her employee on the other end, and her shoulders relaxed. “Do
you need help? I know it’s not a busy time of day, but… Alright, yeah we
have a situation back here that needs to be handled, but please just call back
if you need help out front, OK? Thanks, hon.”

Braden walked into the back of the cafe and took in the scene before
him with resignation. Cooper and his friend sat and ate sandwiches at his
workstation in front of the pile of what he had been sarcastically thinking of
as “fan mail”, mostly to keep himself from losing his shit every time he got
a new note. Maya hung up the phone, ran to him and told him how sorry
she was. He grabbed her to him and kissed her temple as he murmured his
apology.
“It’s alright, baby girl. I’m sorry I yelled at you. It’s not your fault,
and everything you said is right. I just don’t like it and find myself at a loss
as to how I got myself into this situation.”
“You didn’t get yourself into anything, Braden. This isn’t something
that you can blame on yourself. Here, come on, let me pour you some juice.
Go test your levels and we’ll see what else you need besides what I’ve
already made.”
He grabbed his testing kit and headed off to the bathroom to test his
blood, away from the kitchen, not to mention the prying eyes of the peanut
gallery. He gathered himself, pricked his finger, tested the strip and let out a
relieved sigh that his levels weren’t too far off track. He prepped the needle.
After a small injection, some juice and a sandwich, he’d be back on track.
He was exhausted all of a sudden and knew that the stress of the fan
mail had finally caught up with him. He’d known he couldn’t go much
longer without talking to Maya and probably the cops as well, but he wasn’t
looking forward to dealing with any of it. He yanked his hair out of its
leather thong, ran his hands through it and tucked it behind his ears.
Maya was sitting on his stool and picking at her food when he walked
back into the kitchen. She hopped down and brought him his food and juice,
a worried look in her eyes.
“Just a small injection, My, I’m OK. Thanks for the food.” He guided
her back to her seat and stood next to her, which just happened to be right in
front of the pile of fan mail. He grunted as he took his first bite, his mouth
full. “So what’s the consensus on the fan mail?”
Braden watched Maya and Cooper glance up at Cade. “Braden, right?
My name is Zavier McCade. I go by McCade, or just Cade most of the
time.”
Braden met gigantor’s eyes--Christ, the man was huge--and rolled his
name around in his head. He liked his name; it suited him and had a
distinctly sexy ring to it, so he decided to use it. “Braden Cross. It’s nice to
meet you, Zavier, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”
Braden smiled to himself as Cade raised a brow at his choice to call
him by his first name rather than his proffered nicknames. Cade’s soft smile
of approval had Braden’s cheeks heating and his heart beating a bit faster.
His eyes slid down to Cade’s soft, full lips when the huge man spoke. “So,
Braden, this ‘fan mail’, as you call it, is more than just a mild annoyance. I
think you know that deep down, if you’ve been paying attention to the
words he’s written to you. I’m assuming you have, because it seems that
you numbered the notes in chronological order, which was a smart move on
your part, as the guy seems to be quite prolific, in addition to being bat shit
crazy. We’re all assuming you’d like this harassment to stop, so I guess my
question is; are you going to let us do what needs to be done to make sure
you’re safe and this psycho--and I don’t mean that word lightly--is caught
and dealt with?”
Braden was mildly taken aback by Cade’s vehemence. He’d begun to
take the notes more seriously, just in the last several weeks, as the quantity
of the notes increased and the implied threats worsened. However, Cade
seemed to think he was in imminent danger, which gave him pause.
He obviously needed to admit that he’d been a bit of a wreck as a
result of the messages, and he’d been in denial for too long. He’d
internalized most of it in the hopes that it would just go away, but
obviously, that wasn’t happening. He rubbed both hands over his eyes and
pushed them back through his hair.
“Obviously, I’d hoped that the problem would just go away. I have a
feeling I’m not going to like whatever it is that you guys have planned, but I
will have to admit that it’s not exactly my area of expertise. I’m having a
hard time understanding exactly why this guy has latched on to me. I’m
nobody. I’m just a baker. My daily life pretty much consists of waking up,
eating, baking, running, showering, baking, eating, baking, eating, running,
showering and sleeping. As pathetic as that sounds, it’s as close to the truth
as an oversimplification can get.”
Maya huffed out a laugh and looked at him pointedly. “Bray, you’re
not just a baker, you’re the best baker in town and your desserts have won
awards. Not to mention, you don’t just run; you run marathons and ultra-
marathons. You volunteer for the local Diabetes Advocacy and Awareness
Group. You bake cookies for our neighbors, and don’t think I don’t know
about your visits to Mrs. Newton and a couple other little old ladies in the
neighborhood, helping with little things around their houses or just sitting
and chatting with them. This guy, though a total and absolute nutter,
obviously sees what others have seen in you. Not to mention Braden, you’re
friggin beautiful, and you have all of the hot babes in the area mourning
your sexual orientation on a daily basis.”
Braden rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair again in
exasperation. “Baby girl, I love you, and if I ever need a pep talk, I know
where to go. Thank you for your, shall we say, laundry list of my stellar
virtues, but that’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to belittle myself, just
point out the reality. I’m not in the public eye much. You’re the face of our
business, and that’s the way I like it. My daily life is boring, and routine.
You know me; you know most people give me a rash. I just don’t
understand how this dude latched onto me. I’m having a hard time grasping
the fact that someone has gone crazy on my ass without any prompting by
me. I haven’t been in a relationship in over a year. I don’t go out to the
clubs. I just don’t get it.”
Cade stepped close to Braden, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder
and slowly caressed his collarbone with his thumb. The casual, yet tender
touch puzzled and soothed him at once. He lifted his gaze to Cade’s and
listened closely to his words. “Be that as it may, something triggered this
guy and it’s you who he’s latched on to. It may be someone you don’t know
but you’ve met, or it may be an ex-boyfriend. We’ll be looking at all of the
possibilities. We’ll also be calling the cops to report the situation, so that
we’re keeping everything on the up and up. However, what we’re also
going to do is keep you safe. This is the part that you’re probably not going
to like. I’m gonna be your shadow 24/7 until we figure this shit out. What
you can take to the bank is that I’ll always be completely honest with you.
Our investigation will be transparent, as will all of my dealings with you. I
want you to be as comfortable with my presence as possible, so that you can
go about your normal routines. When you, how did you put it…. wake up,
eat, bake, run, shower, bake, eat, bake, eat, run, shower and sleep, I’m going
to be doing those things with you.” He smirked, and wiggled his eyebrows.
“For now, a few of those things you’ll get to do on your own, with me not
too far away. However, that’s negotiable, so we can get back to that later.”
Utter shock hit Braden, quickly followed by a lightning bolt of heated
desire that flashed through him, and then complete disbelief and annoyance
that this giant of a man was making fun of him. Such a range of emotions in
the span of a few seconds threw him off and he didn’t know whether to let
any of those emotions spew forth. He was just about to slap the guy back a
few steps, verbally, for being such an ass, when Cooper spoke up, an
amused and mischievous look in his eyes.
“On that note, I think I’ll call the local PD and see who they can send
out to look at your fan mail. I’ll make the call from the office.”
Maya had a huge smile on her face and looked back and forth
between him and Cade. To Braden, it seemed misplaced and ill timed, but at
this point he was flat out of energy and just wanted to finish his meal and
get this day over with. He took the last half of his sandwich in hand, stood
up and went to the back door. “I’m going home to finish eating, get a
shower and change. I’ll be back to deal with the cops in 30 minutes.”
Cade made a move to follow him, which snapped the tenuous hold
that Braden had on his temper. “Listen gigantor, stay right where you are. I
haven’t agreed to all of this yet. I know I’ll eventually have to give in, but
for right now give me a fucking break and the illusion that I don’t have a
shit storm of complications coming my way. I’m going home for 30
minutes, alone. If anyone follows me, I swear to Christ, I’ll lose my shit.
Got it?”
A broad, sexy as sin grin flashed across Cade’s face as he gave a two
fingered salute to Braden and a deep rumble came from his chest.
“Mmhmm. Got it, boss.”
Braden rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air, muttering about
sexy giants that thought they could control everything, and cursing himself
internally for his physical reaction to the huge man. His hands were
sweating and he had goosebumps all over his body from that deep sexy
voice. He walked out of his kitchen to cross the street to his and Maya’s
split row house, all the while trying desperately not to think about the man’s
alluring smile, his beautiful body, and his gorgeous face.

Maya had a speculative gleam in her eyes, and Cade guessed it would
be less than ten seconds before she started talking about what was on her
mind, so he jumped in first. “Hit me with it, gorgeous. What you got
brewing in that brain of yours? I can see the hamsters spinning in their
wheels.”
 She shook her head and laughed, despite herself. “So, my question
for you is, do you know that you’re sex on legs, or is that news to you? You
have the walk of a man that’s very confident and I have to wonder if that
confidence slides on over towards arrogance. I guess I’ll have to figure that
out for myself. I have to admit I’m surprised though, I didn’t know you
were gay, and you’re such a macho tough guy, that I would never have
guessed. Then again, I suppose the same could be said about Cooper and
now I’m stereotyping, which I hate. It’s just that Cooper never mentioned it,
which surprises me. I mean, he knew that my best friend was gay, Coop’s
bi, so I don’t know why he wouldn’t have told me that you’re gay.”
“Well, it’s not a secret. Never has been, but us military types, and
that’s what we’ll always be, tend to keep that type of information as need to
know, even now that DADT is dead. My closest friends in my unit all knew.
It was never an issue and I was never ashamed to discuss it. It probably
helped that I was always the biggest and strongest of the lot. That’s not me
bragging, it’s the truth. I’m 6’6”, so I’m bigger, and stronger just comes
with the territory when you’re this size, I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever been
called sex on legs before, but I suppose, in a roundabout way, it’s a
compliment. The thing is you’re not really seeing me; you see my height,
you see the muscles, you see my tattoos, and god knows what else. All I
know is that I’m not responsible for what you see before you. My mom’s
the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and my dad; well let’s just say he’s
a big strong man like me. It was the luck of the gene pool.”
Maya tilted her head as if contemplating his response. “So, are you
truly interested in Braden, or were you just teasing him, to get a reaction?”
Cade knew she wasn’t going to give up this line of questioning. He
also knew that she was Braden’s best friend and that was reason enough to
lay his cards on the table, such as they were. He took a deep breath and put
it all out there.
“I’ve never believed in love at first sight. To be completely honest,
I’m still not sure I do. All I know is I walked in and you were both arguing
and my focus narrowed in on him and the rest of the room became a blur
and murmured voices. I didn’t know if he was gay, but I knew that I’d never
been so physically attracted to anyone in my life. As soon as I learned what
was going on, I knew I’d be the one ensuring his safety and that I’d put my
life on the line for him, if need be. However, keep in mind that in my line of
work, putting my life on the line is par for the course. This feels different to
me, though. This feels…. more. I don’t know if that’s what you want to hear
or not, but just know that it’s the truth.”
“I think I’m going to like you Cade,” Maya said. “I may end up even
loving you. But know this; that man you’re so attracted to is one of the most
important people in my life. I’m very protective of him, and he’s had some
really shitty luck with men. If you’re being truthful with me and your
feelings for him grow, for your sake, and for his, I hope you’re able to gain
his trust. I trust my brother’s judgment, so I guess that means I’m putting
my trust in you until you prove otherwise. I know that you’ll appreciate the
sentiment when I say that if you hurt him, I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
Enjoying her feistiness, Cade laughed and winked at her. “I think
we’ll get along just fine, Maya. However, I think I’ll sleep with one eye
open, until I get your nod of approval.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden headed back across the street, realizing by the oncoming
darkness, that it was later than he had thought and that the cafe would
already be closed. Earlier, on the walk from the cafe to his place he’d felt
the beginning of one of his migraines. The doctors called them migraines
with aura. Simply put, he started having vision problems, seeing spots,
blurring around the edges and other strange visual cues that messed with his
eyesight before the pain of the migraines actually hit. Strangely enough, he
considered himself lucky, as these symptoms always hit him about 30
minutes before the pain came, usually allowing him enough time to get his
migraine meds down and working before the pain became debilitating.
He only had himself to blame, and he could only hope that the meds
would kick in and work so that he could get through this discussion with the
cops. With all the drama, he’d taken off on a run and skipped his scheduled
meal.
Any change in his insulin routine was not good on his system. His
glucose levels spiked and a migraine usually followed. He maintained a
strict schedule for eating and exercise. Any undue stressors, and there’d
been a shit ton of them lately, always caused unwelcomed responses in his
body. It seemed to react negatively whenever things weren’t quite right, and
occasionally he was surprised by what could throw his body out of whack.
Sometimes he’d have anxiety attacks, come down with a cold, have flu like
symptoms, get really bad headaches, and then sometimes he was hit with
one of his migraines. He was pretty adept at keeping himself regimented
and therefore free of strange bouts of sickness, but when he wasn’t, he was
usually able to ignore most of the symptoms and push through. However,
when it came to migraines, they hit hard and were completely debilitating.
He supposed it was one of the many reasons he was always so careful and
disciplined about everything in his life.
Stepping into his kitchen, he struggled to compose his features so
Maya wouldn’t realize he was in pain. The bright lights did a number on his
vision, though, and he had to blink a number of times before the spots
lessened enough for him to continue forward. Conversation stopped when
the others realized he had returned. He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets,
and curled a bit more into himself. He hated being the center of attention.
Maya was next to him in a second. “You don’t look that great,
Braden. Do you want to do this another time? I’m sure Detective Miller can
take your statement tomorrow.”
“No, I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with now.” God knows he
didn’t want to have to psych himself up for this a second time. Sheepishly
he noticed a man with a badge standing with Cooper and Cade.
“Detective Miller, I presume?” Braden extended his hand as he sat on
his kitchen stool. “I’m Braden Cross. Thanks for coming out.”
“You’re welcome. Seems you’ve been having some trouble with a
stalker. Care to tell me when this all started?”
“Just shy of three months ago. At first the notes were friendly, almost
more like a secret admirer, and didn’t worry me in the least. For the first
month, I honestly thought it was some kind of joke and one of my friends
was going to fess up any second. Then he started to say some stuff that
made me realize there really was someone watching me. He would
comment on what I was wearing on a specific day. He’d include receipts for
someplace on my jogging route, receipts that had dates and time stamps.”
 “I’d like to take all of the notes with me today, if I could.”
Cade cut into the conversation. “Sorry, Detective, that’s not going to
happen. We can make copies for you, but we’re keeping the originals. We’ll
be launching our own investigation into the situation and providing Mr.
Cross with protection as well, as we discussed several minutes ago.”
The detective was about to argue, when Cooper did his best to cut the
discussion off before it became heated. “Detective Miller, we know how
these things work. No insults meant; however, we essentially contacted you
so we could lodge the complaint and inform you of what is going on. We
know that you all don’t have the manpower to really do anything more than
take a cursory glance at the letters and keep an open file. I’ve already
created copies of all of the notes and receipts; anything the stalker has left
Braden. You can take these copies with you, to keep them on file. We don’t
want to step on your toes or insult you for your efforts. We know that you
really can’t do anything unless there’s a direct threat, and even then, with no
clue who is threatening him, not much would get done. As Cade has
mentioned, we’ll be providing protection for Braden and investigating this
situation ourselves. If we come up with anything, we’ll keep you
informed.”
The detective asked several more questions, but as Braden didn’t
have many answers to provide, as he had no idea who could be doing the
stalking, the conversation seemed to wind down pretty quickly, for which
he was grateful. He was feeling worse by the minute, and it was obvious he
wasn’t really needed here any longer. “I think you have what you need. If
you’ll excuse me, I need to get home.”
He stood up slowly and was hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea all
at once. He gripped both hands on the countertop to steady himself. He
heard Maya whispering to Cooper, who quickly ushered the police detective
out the door.
Her voice, though a whisper, was full of admonishment. “Braden,
why didn’t you tell us about the migraine?”
“Shit, what’s he even doing here? I…” Cade’s voice was cut off mid-
tirade by Maya’s shaking head and raised hand for him to quiet down.
“You should have told us, Bray. When did the aura symptoms start?
How bad is it? Let’s get you home.”
“I’ll be OK. Aura started about an hour ago, when I went over to take
a shower. I took all of my migraine meds and was thinking they’d do the
trick, but with my schedule being all sorts of fucked today, I’m guessing
now that the meds aren’t going to do more than dull the ache. The worst of
it hasn’t hit yet. I’ll go home now.” All this was whispered while his eyes
were nearly closed against the dizziness and bright lights. His knuckles
were white on the countertop.
Maya put her arm around his waist and began to help him to the door.
Cade held it open for them and followed.
Braden held onto the hand Maya placed at his waist and squeezed.
“Thanks, My. Sorry about all this. What a disaster of a day.”
Braden got a bit dizzy and then realized he was going to be sick. His
steps faltered, he wobbled a bit and bent at the waist clutching his stomach.
Cade was at his other side immediately, but he pushed them both away as
he lurched to the gutter and in seconds, fell to his knees and lost the
contents of his stomach. He felt Maya’s hands rubbing his back and what
must have been Cade’s hands holding his hair out of the way. Because this
whole situation wasn’t embarrassing enough, he needed every weakness he
had to be displayed for this giant of a man who probably had never had any
health issues his whole life and would never be remotely intimidated by
some fan mail.
Thoroughly humiliated, Braden’s voice shook. “God, I’m so sorry,
you guys. Gimme a second and I’ll be ready to get up.”
He thought he heard Cade whisper, “Fuck that.” And then, he was
being lifted gently from his knees, picked up and carried against a huge,
solid chest. He heard Cade whisper, “If you need to be sick again, just tell
me and I’ll stop.”

Braden began to shake in his arms, and Cade looked down at him and
swore under his breath. What color he did have was slightly tinged green,
and his eyes were shut, probably to keep out any light. Cade knew he must
be in awful shape to allow himself to be carried. He hadn’t known Braden
long, but already he knew that he most likely never asked for help and
would have done almost anything to avoid being in this situation.
Cade followed as Maya unlocked their front door, turned to the
interior door on the left, took out her own keys and unlocked Braden’s door.
All of the lights were on in his house, which Cade supposed attested to the
fact that Braden thought the meds would kick in for him, and he’d come
back home without pain. As she led him through Braden’s home, she turned
off most of the lights to lesson his discomfort. In the bedroom she turned
the dimmer light on as low as it could go so he could still see to put Braden
down on his bed, but the light wouldn’t hurt his eyes. Braden moaned a bit
and curled up in a ball facing away from them.
Cade watched as Maya pulled Braden’s shoes off, covered him with a
blue fleece blanket that had been folded at the foot of the bed, and led Cade
out of Braden’s room and into his kitchen. “I’m gonna get him a cold
compress and stay with him until he sleeps. Thanks for your help, Cade.
I’ve got this. He could be awake for only 30 minutes or for as long as six
hours with pain. He never knows how bad they will be, but I have a feeling
this one’s been brewing, and he’s just been too distracted by this stalker to
see the other warning signs that he’s usually able to catch fairly quickly.
Stress makes his insulin spike, and he’s probably been compensating by
increasing his dosages, but in doing so, he probably triggered the migraine.”
Cade shook his head. “I’m not leaving him, Maya, it doesn’t matter
how long it takes. First of all, I’m his protection detail. Second of all, every
instinct I have is telling me to stay with him and take care of him, and I’m
not one to ignore my instincts. You can go spend time with your brother and
come back and check in, but I’m not going anywhere. Not when he’s in
danger, and especially not when he’s in this much pain. Tell me what he
needs and I’ll take care of it. Cold compress and what else?”
Cade’s mind was reeling. He’d barely met this man and yet here he
was, offering to take care of him. This was a first for him, but like he’d told
Maya, everything within him was aching to help Braden, to make him feel
better, take the utmost care with him. He wasn’t about to ignore such strong
feelings. He felt an innate sense of responsibility for him and his well-
being, and as strange as these new feelings were, they also felt right.
The thought of Braden enduring six solid hours of pain made him
want to punch something. He wondered how often this happened and what
other symptoms he would have normally caught but didn’t because of this
fan mail bullshit. He wanted to pummel someone, namely the stalker, but he
also wanted to shake Braden for not taking better care of himself, even
though he knew that wasn’t fair.
 Maya was scrutinizing him closely, looking for what, he could only
imagine. She must have seen something that reassured her, because she
nodded her head, as if coming to a conclusion. “I’ll go get Cooper settled
into my place and come and check in on you guys in a bit. He won’t be able
to work for a day or two, so I need to run next door and take our emergency
pastry stash out of the freezer so that we have enough to tide us over for a
couple days, if need be. I’m trusting you with him, so don’t fuck this up.
He’s at his weakest right now and no matter how much he’d disagree, he
needs help.”
She opened up a drawer and took out a thin tea towel. “Take him the
cold compress, wrapped in the towel. He’ll take it and put it where it feels
best. Also, when it’s bad like this, putting pressure on his temples helps. So
if you see him putting his fingers to his temple, he needs help putting
pressure there and holding it there until he can sleep. That and the dark,
quiet room is the most we can do for him at this point. Depending on how
long the pain lasts, he’ll also experience what some people call a migraine
hangover. He’ll be exhausted, possibly weak and light headed and won’t be
able to concentrate much for another 24 hours or so after the migraine is
finally gone.”
Cade’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Shit, does this happen often? You
know what? Never mind, we can talk more later, right now I just need to get
back to him. You can trust me, and you know that, or you wouldn’t be
leaving. If I could take away his pain, I would. I’ll do what you’ve asked
and make sure he settles and sleeps no matter how long it takes.”
It took hours, and the fact that it did killed Cade. Knowing that he
couldn’t fix it, couldn’t do a damned thing to take away Braden’s pain, ate
away at him. When he went back into Braden’s room he shut off all of the
lights completely and waited for his eyes to adjust before he walked to the
bed. He lay on his side behind Braden and reached around to put the cold
compress on his head where he thought some of the pain might be gathered.
Braden reached up weakly and murmured a thank you when he grabbed it
and moved it slightly, to a more comfortable spot. Cade then got
comfortable and lay down behind him and just waited to see if he needed
anything.
A minute later he saw Braden switch the ice to his left hand and put
pressure on his right temple with his other hand. Cade lay back against the
pillows and gently pulled Braden so that he was resting in the crook of his
arm, and he took the compress from Braden’s hand and held it there for
him. He glanced to his side and saw a smaller pillow, grabbed it and put it
against Braden’s chest, putting his arm around the pillow. He removed
Braden’s other hand from his temple and then replaced that with his own as
well. After a few seconds Braden wrapped both arms around the small
pillow, pulled it tightly to his chest and sighed. Feeling better once he
watched Braden get more comfortable, he was able to relax as well. He
stilled when he heard Braden’s voice. “Thanks, baby girl. I’m sorry for
everything.”
The fact that Braden thought it was Maya behind him, helping him,
was probably for the best, though a selfish part of him wished Braden knew
it was him. He certainly didn’t want to stress Braden out or make him feel
uncomfortable. Thinking it was Maya was allowing him to lower his guard
that he’d put in place in order to get through the night’s ordeal. Though
Braden was more relaxed, Cade knew he wasn’t asleep, yet. After a while
he removed the cold compress and set it aside. Braden moved around a
little, trying to get more comfortable, which allowed Cade to adjust him so
that he was lying more on Cade’s chest, freeing his arm and allowing him to
gently run his fingers soothingly through Braden’s silky hair and rub gently
at his temples with both hands. He continued on that way for what seemed
like forever, massaging Braden’s temples and the rest of his head.
Cade knew he was in too deep already when he realized there was
nowhere on earth he would rather be at that moment. Having Braden in his
arms, he was feeling more protective than he’d ever felt towards anyone in
his life. Braden shifted against him and made some unintelligible sounds.
They didn’t seem to be sounds of pain. He thought they might have been
sounds of pleasure. He knew Braden was finally asleep when he turned over
towards Cade, his head still resting high on Cade’s chest, and snuggled up
against him. As soon as Braden started to move, Cade lifted both hands and
waited until Braden found a comfortable position, before lowering his
hands again; this time one on Braden’s back, caressing him lightly, the other
still massaging his head gently. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on
Braden’s head and breathed him in, closing his eyes in contentment.
A little while later Cade felt someone watching him and opened his
eyes just enough to see Maya in the doorway. She’d come back to check up
on Braden, he was sure, but from her expression she was a bit surprised to
see them cuddled up close to one another. She’d turned on the light in the
hallway, and he could tell that she was processing the scene before her.
Cade relaxed a bit when she smiled at them. He was glad she didn’t seem
upset that he was holding Braden so close, because honestly, if she was
upset, he didn’t think it would have mattered much to him. He was feeling
more possessive by the minute, as Braden lay cuddled in his arms, all soft
and warm.
His head rested lightly on Braden’s and he continued to watch Maya
as she watched them. If he wasn’t mistaken, she wiped a tear from her eye
as she finally approached them. The blanket she’d put on Braden earlier had
been kicked down to his lower legs. She gently pulled it from him and then
went about covering them both with it. He kept silent, not wanting to
disturb Braden and not wanting Maya to know that he’d been observing her.
Cade watched her walk from the room and found himself getting drowsy.
He was out moments later, more relaxed and more at peace than he’d been
in a long time.

Braden woke up gradually and realized he was being held, and was
holding someone in return. Thinking Maya must have stayed with him the
night before, he opened his eyes and moved slowly to extricate himself
from her without waking her up. He realized when looking at the
gargantuan chest he’d been laying on that it wasn’t Maya after all, but
Cade. Humiliation rushed through him when he thought about the previous
night. He also waited for the panic to come after being in close proximity to
such a big man, but strangely, it didn’t. He made to get up off the bed, and
Cade grasped him gently by the wrist. Braden looked down into groggy,
heavy lidded, ridiculously sexy blue eyes, and wondered how in the hell
he’d missed them the day before.
Cade gazed at him and asked in a quiet, sleepy whisper, “Hey, how
are you feeling this morning?”
The concern in Cade’s voice, hell, in his eyes, was real and just made
Braden feel worse. He was so far from making a good impression on this
man that it was almost comical. He didn’t quite understand why the guy
hadn’t run in the opposite direction once all the drama started yesterday and
then he realized with chagrin that Cade had promised to provide protection
detail, so he was stuck.
 “I’m fine, Zavier. I don’t remember much after humiliating myself all
over the gutter last night and you picking me up. Did I fall asleep in your
arms? I’m so sorry you felt you had to sleep here. You didn’t have to put
yourself out like that.”
“No, Braden. Maya told me you needed to be in the dark and quiet
and that an ice compress and helping massage your temples would help.
She was going to do it, but I told her to get her brother settled in at her place
and that I’d take care of you.”
Braden still felt exhausted, regardless of the sleep he’d been able get.
The echo of pain still reverberating through is body reminded him that the
hangover was sometimes just as bad as the migraine itself. He rubbed his
forehead, more than a little confused. “But, why would you do that? You
don’t know me. You don’t need to feel responsible for me. Contrary to what
you saw yesterday, I am actually very adept at taking care of myself and my
health. I have to be. I guess I just finally hit a wall yesterday, and
everything went to shit. I’m really sorry you felt like you had to stay with
me.”
Braden could tell he was being thoroughly assessed. Cade tilted his
head, his gaze intense when he responded, “Do I look like the type of
person that does anything he doesn’t want to do? You were hurting last
night, and I wanted to help you. Is that so hard to believe? It felt right,
taking care of you. You felt good in my arms, Braden. I don’t want your
apologies, and I won’t apologize for doing what was right, what I wanted to
do, and what you needed. You gonna be OK with that?”
Was this guy for real? Who said that kind of stuff? Not to mention,
he’d just met the man yesterday. Braden gazed down at Cade, who was still
lying back on his pillows. He was a god. He was so huge he made Braden’s
king sized bed seem small. He had dark hair cropped close to his head and a
very short beard that made him look scruffy and rugged. He was in a fitted
gray t-shirt and dark washed jeans that hung low on his hips, and he’d
unbuttoned them sometime during the night. He realized that he never
responded to Cade’s question, because he’d been too busy giving him a
thorough once over. He felt his cheeks heat when he finally did respond.
“I don’t know if I will be, to tell you the truth. I don’t know you, and
you don’t know me, not really. We met each other yesterday afternoon, and
I just woke up in my bed with you wrapped around me. That’s a lot to take
in, Zavier. You’ve come at a time when the shit has hit the fan and things
are falling down around me, and that’s so far from my norm that I’d be
crazy if I didn’t feel a bit overwhelmed.”
Cade sat up, which brought him even closer to Braden. Braden
couldn’t help but breathe in his scent. Even after sleep, Cade smelled so
good, some kind of sandalwood cologne, along with a natural manly scent
that was an aphrodisiac in itself. Braden had never seen such a broad chest,
huge shoulders, thick, muscular arms and massive hands. Those arms were
works of art all by themselves, but add in the fact that both of them were
sleeved with black ink, and Braden could barely look away.
Braden knew he wasn’t a big man, hell, at 5’9” and no more than 150
pounds, he’d always felt slight; but Cade’s sheer size made him feel so
small, it was almost ridiculous. One of those arms he had just been
admiring reached towards him. Cade caressed the side of Braden’s face
with his thumb, while his fingers combed into his hair. Braden’s eyes were
drawn to Cade’s, and what he saw there was both tenderness and hunger. It
was a combination that just about did Braden in.
When Cade pulled his hand away, Braden nearly groaned at the loss.
He glanced up as Cade spoke, his deep, rough voice buzzing along Braden’s
nerve endings. “I can handle overwhelmed. We can work with that. Maya
read me the riot act yesterday when she realized I was interested in you.
And make no mistake about it, Braden; I’m very interested. She mentioned
that you’d been hurt in past relationships, treated like shit. She also said,
and I quote, ‘If you hurt him, I’ll kill you in your sleep.’ I don’t know the
details; she didn’t share them with me, and I’d much rather hear them from
you. Just know that because of that, I’m going to be extremely forthright
with you from the get go, because I don’t want there to be any confusion.”
Cade reached over and trailed a finger down Braden’s arm and gently
clasped his hand in his own much bigger one. “I’m going to tell you exactly
what I told Maya yesterday, so that you understand what I’m feeling. When
I walked into your kitchen yesterday and saw you talking with Maya,
everything else in that room went fuzzy. All I could see was you: your silky,
long hair, pulled back in that leather strip, your strong smooth jawline and
your beautiful lips. You’re thin, but I know from what Maya said about your
running that you’re in amazing shape. I’ve never been so physically drawn
to someone in my life. Something in me recognized something in you. I
don’t know how else to describe it. I have no idea what will happen with us.
I don’t know if we’ll even get along, frankly, but I really want to find out,
because this attraction I feel for you is so strong I’m having a hard time
keeping my hands off of you. Because of that, not to mention the fact that I
can see you’re still in pain and exhausted from your migraine, I’m gonna go
find my bag, take a shower and give you some time to yourself. We’ll talk
more over breakfast.”
Cade placed his other hand gently on Braden’s neck, his thumb
lightly caressing his jaw. He leaned forward and kissed Braden on the
temple and was on his way out of the room before Braden could react.
Braden had never had anyone talk to him like that. He was glad Cade
had left, because he couldn’t have responded to him if he’d tried. Feeling
like shit, but knowing he needed to get up and check his glucose levels, he
pushed to his feet, ignored the residual dizziness, and trudged to the
bathroom to the testing kit he kept at home. After giving himself an
injection, he realized he needed to eat something quick to get himself back
in line.
Hearing the shower running, he knew he’d be missing breakfast with
Cade. He was half relieved and half disappointed by that fact, but he knew
he couldn’t wait. He grabbed several quick breakfast-on-the-go snacks he
kept for mornings where he needed to recover from a migraine and trudged
back to his bed. He ate quickly, not feeling like eating at all but knowing he
had to, and was thinking about getting up to shower when he decided he’d
just rest for a couple minutes. Maybe if he did that, the migraine hangover
would go away.
After his shower, Cade headed toward the kitchen. He had just made
some coffee when Maya walked in. He raised his eyebrows at the coffee
he’d ground, and she shook her head. “No, I’m good thanks; I’ll have some
at the cafe. I’m going over there to get things ready to open up, but wanted
to check on Braden. I’ve got some extra help coming in today, so that I can
be available to Braden if he needs it. Most likely he’ll sleep a lot today.”
Cade nodded. “He looked a little wrung out, but I think he’s probably
showering and getting ready to come eat.”
“When did he wake up?”
“About 35-40 minutes ago. We talked for a bit and then I went out to
get my bag and shower before starting coffee.”
She shook her head and started towards Braden’s bedroom. “He’s
already eaten something because of the diabetes and after chatting with you
and grabbing something to eat, he’s most likely run out of steam. My guess
is he’s asleep again.”
 “Shit, sorry. I wasn’t thinking about the diabetes. Fuck, Maya, he has
to handle a lot of shit to keep his body functioning properly. It’s hard
enough with the diabetes, but to add migraines to the mix, if anything gets
out of whack, it must be stressful.”
They both peeked in on him. Cade strode to Braden, took the
remnants of his breakfast off of the bed, and pulled the covers over his
sleeping form. Maya came to his side. “Here, give me that stuff. I’ll take it
to the kitchen.”
Cade crouched down next to the bed and gently brushed Braden’s
hair away from his face, careful not to wake him. He leaned in to kiss him
on his temple and that’s when Maya stepped back into the room.
“I think you’re gonna be good for him, Cade. I hope he lets you in. If
anyone deserves to be happy, it’s Braden.”
Cade followed her out of Braden’s room. “Do I need to wake him up
to make sure he checks his glucose?”
“He should be good for three to four hours or so. If he doesn’t wake
up by then, wake him up and ask him what he wants to eat. If you need me
to come fix something, I can. His test kit is in his bathroom. I got your
number from Cooper, so I’ll text you in the next several hours to check in.
Thanks for taking care of him, Cade.”

OceanofPDF.com
 While Braden slept, Cade asked Cooper to come over. They reviewed
each and every note and letter that the stalker had sent to him. The guy was
all over the place, almost manic with some of his notes, which worried
Cade the most. There were some love letters with sappy, sweet words, some
just listing dates, times, and locations where Braden had been watched and
yet others that were angry and threatening.
One missive mentioned he’d been watching Braden run in the park
and had seen another man join him for part of his run. He’d gone on and on
about how unacceptable Braden’s behavior was and how he was not to flirt
with other men and give other men the impression that he was free. There
were receipts from shops, restaurants, and bookstores on Braden’s running
route.
Almost everything was focused on when he was running, most likely
because that’s when he was alone and out in the open, and on a fairly
regular schedule. Cade and Cooper had come up with a list of questions to
ask Braden, to help clarify a few things. However, the single most important
thing that was very clear was that this was a serious issue, and the person
that was stalking him was becoming unhinged. Cooper left to meet with the
Kensington’s to get their job started there. Cade set about making lunch for
both himself and for Braden.
Cade put the lunch tray down on the nightstand beside Braden’s bed
and went in search of Braden’s test kit. Once he’d found it, he sat by
Braden’s side, brushed back the hair from his face and gently rubbed his
thumb over the dark circles under Braden’s eyes. He didn’t know how it had
happened in less than 24 hours, but he cared about Braden more than made
sense. He didn’t even know the guy, not really, and yet, he felt in some
inexplicable way that they were tied together.
Braden’s eyes blinked groggily open, peered up at him, and he smiled
such a sweet, bewildered smile that it melted Cade’s heart. He couldn’t
seem to stop touching him, so he moved his thumb over to Braden’s temple
and gently rubbed there, hoping to ease any residual ache left in the
migraine’s wake.
“Hey, I wanted to get you up because it’s been four hours, and you
need to test your blood and eat some food. Let me help you get propped up
against some pillows; I’ve got your kit right here.”
Braden still felt so exhausted and allowed Cade to help him sit up.
“Thanks, Zavier,” he managed as he rubbed his face and tucked his hair
behind his ears.
His movements were a bit slow, and he didn’t feel like he had much
strength. He hated this part of the migraine. The hangover sometimes felt
just as bad as the migraine itself and made the whole episode last so much
longer. He was able to open his test kit, prick his finger, and test the blood,
but after that he had to just sit for a minute. He glanced over at the
nightstand to check the time and saw the lunch tray containing two plates
with big sandwiches, a bowl filled with carrots and celery and another bowl
of grapes. There were a couple glasses of milk and even folded napkins.
He smiled shyly over at Cade and joked, “Maybe I need to keep you
around, to help every time I have a migraine. I get door to door
transportation, personal nursing through the night, and now meal service.
That’s not even taking into account the personal protection detail to come,
along with an investigation. I’m gonna be indebted to you, big time.”
 Instead of laughing, as Braden had intended, Cade looked at him as if
he was carefully weighing his words. “You want to keep me around,
Braden? You say the words, and consider it done. But understand this,
you’re not, and never will be, indebted to me. Understand?”
Braden’s mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened. “I
understand. I didn’t mean to upset you. I appreciate all you’ve done, I really
do. I wish I was meeting you at a time when things were normal for me.
Having you swoop in to save the day when I get myself in a bind with some
crazy stalker, and then manage to give myself a migraine is a little
unsettling.”
“Stop blaming yourself for shit that is out of your control. Now, eat
your lunch.”
He tried to hide his smile, because good lord, grumpy Cade was
really cute. He nodded his head but bent over his kit again. He mustered up
the energy to measure out the correct amount of insulin and looked at Cade.
“If this is going to bother you, you can look away.”
“Do you mind if I watch?”
Braden blushed a little, and felt as if the act of giving himself insulin
with this virile man watching was somehow very intimate, but he shrugged.
“No, I don’t mind.”
He proceeded to lift his shirt and inject himself in the stomach. He
lowered his shirt and rubbed at the spot a little and was surprised when
Cade scooted closer and covered his hand, caressing it gently. Braden
shivered at the contact, Cade’s large roughened hands felt foreign, yet
soothing. His eyes flitted up to Cade’s, and his breath caught in his throat.
They stared at each other for several long moments, until Cade smiled
devastatingly and Braden had to blink several times to break whatever spell
he’d cast.
 Cade let go of Braden’s hand, and placed the tray of food on the bed,
within easy reach of Braden, his voice gruff. “Maya stopped by several
times today while you were sleeping. She’s worried about you, but happy
that I’m here to help. Now, eat, please. I pulled all of this from your own
supplies, so I’m assuming it’s all OK for you to eat right now, but if it’s not
right, tell me, and I’ll make you something else.”
Braden touched Cade’s knee. His voice caught in his throat so that it
came out as a whisper. “It’s perfect. Thank you. Tell Maya, if I miss her
again when she stops in, that I love her.”
Cade agreed, and they ate the meal in companionable silence. After
Braden had eaten what he needed to keep his levels healthy, he set the plate
aside, reclined back, and thanked Cade again. He watched in amused
silence as Cade picked up the remains of his food and demolished it.
Cade grinned, his voice sheepish. “I’m pretty much a bottomless pit. I
even had another sandwich while I was making yours. And, I found a stash
of chocolate candy, which surprised me. I ate some of that, too.”
Braden’s burst of laughter surprised Cade. “Uh, Zavier, that was
sugar free candy that I get from a local chocolatier, for when I need
something sweet, but don’t want to mess with my glucose levels or bake
myself something. If you’re not used to the stuff, your tummy might not be
too happy with you.”
“Well, shit.”
“Yes, precisely.”
They both looked at each other and laughed. Cade didn’t care how
much that damned candy messed with his stomach, as long as he got to see
Braden laughing, it was well worth it. He loaded everything back up on the
tray and leaned in and kissed Braden on the temple before he could talk
himself out of it. “You look like you’re about to keel over. Rest some more.
If I need to wake you for dinner, I will.”
Braden couldn’t remember a time in his adult life when he’d been so
thoroughly taken care of by another man. For the life of him he couldn’t
figure out why he was letting Cade help him in the first place. It was
completely uncharacteristic and that didn’t even take into account the fact
that he’d just met the man. Not only was he allowing himself to be helped,
he was allowing Cade to take control and tell him what to do.
He felt a pull towards Cade that he couldn’t explain, and while a part
of him wanted to push back and tell him to back off and mind his own
business, he had to admit another part of him, a part that obviously edged
out the other, was telling him to do what Cade asked of him, because so far,
Cade was taking better care of him than he had been of himself. He let that
boggle his mind for quite a while, flipped it over and over in his head, tried
to dissect it or prove himself wrong, before he gave up and felt himself let it
all go. Just as he fell asleep, he thought once again, how much trouble he
was in with this man.

Braden found himself being woken up a second time that day by

Cade, bearing dinner and his testing kit. He felt somewhat better, but still a
little out of it. What he did know was that being woken up by a gentle hand
caressing his forehead and into his hair felt really nice. He felt a bit off
kilter every time he was near Cade. He needed to get a grip.
“We gotta quit meeting like this, Zavier.”
Cade chuckled and helped him sit up. “You’ve been out for another
four hours. It’s time for some dinner and a blood test. How are you
feeling?”
Wiggling his hand back and forth, he grumbled, “meh,” while he
reached for the kit. He tested his blood, got his dose ready, and injected it
into his tummy, rubbing the area afterwards. “I usually don’t feel 100
percent for several days after a migraine, but I’m a bit better than I was at
lunch. Thanks for waking me.”
“Do you need to eat and sleep again right away or do you want to be
up for a bit?”
“I feel like I could sleep again right now, but I’d probably be up at 3
a.m. and not be able to fall back to sleep, so I think I’ll try to stay up a bit
after we eat.”
“You want company or would you prefer to be alone?” Cade gave
Braden his most charming, yet hopeful, smile.
Braden chuckled and shook his head. “You don’t fight fair, do you?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”
“Yes, you do. You, with that innocent look on your face; I’m hip to
your games,” Braden teased.
Cade’s smile faded. “I’ll tease you and joke around with you, Braden;
that you can be sure of. I get the feeling you don’t get much of that, so I’m
looking forward to it. However, one thing I won’t do is play games with
you. That’s a promise, OK?”
Braden looked down at his hands still holding his testing kit and
glanced back up at Cade and shrugged. “OK.”
“In that vein, I’ll just say I find myself in a situation I’ve never been
in before. I’m crazy attracted to you. I’ve had a lot of time to think today.
The fact that I needed to take care of you last night when you were sick,
held you all night when I’d basically just met you, and will do just about
anything to get to know you, tells me that I need to just keep doing what
I’m doing, which is going with my gut. I’ve always been very good at
listening to my own instincts. They’ve saved my life more than a time or
two. So, I guess that leaves me at your mercy, Braden. I’m an extremely
private person, and I usually don’t talk about myself if I can help it, but I
find myself wanting to share things with you, so that you can get to know
me. I guess the real question is, will you allow me to get to know you?”
Braden blushed and smiled. “At my mercy? Hmmm….” He bit his lip
then opened his mouth and looked like he was going to say something and
then thought better of it and closed it again. Cade waited him out, patiently,
with a gentle smile on his face. Braden looked down at his hands again,
then looked up with a shy smile. “How about we eat dinner together, and
we’ll see how things go? Why don’t we take the food back to the table and
eat there?”
“That’s a start. I baked some chicken and steamed some veggies.
Made a bit of quinoa and cut up some apples.”
“You made it yourself? It smells really good, and I’m actually pretty
hungry. You didn’t have to do all this, but thank you.”
“I don’t mind cooking. Mom and Dad, once we were teens, made us
each take a day a week to cook meals for the family, so we all got rather
proficient at cooking.”
Cade picked up the dinner tray and led Braden out to the dining table.
Braden asked how many siblings Cade had and learned he had an older
brother, two younger brothers and a younger sister.
After dinner, Cade led them out to Braden’s living room so that they
could continue getting to know each other. He regaled Braden with lots of
stories about his siblings. They talked for a couple hours, learned a lot about
each other’s childhoods and teenage years.
 Braden loved hearing Cade talk. He had a deep voice that Braden
found so sexy he could listen to him read the phone book and he wouldn’t
care, as long as he kept talking. He also learned that Cade had a really great
sense of humor and an enormous love for his large family. When he spoke
of them, his face lit up, and his laugh was infectious. One story, in
particular, regarding his siblings playing a prank on their mother had
Braden laughing harder than he could remember laughing in quite some
time. He felt tears form at the corners of his eyes and wiped them away.
“Did she kill you? How long was her hair purple?”
Cade chuckled. “Not long, it was only Kool-Aid, but yeah, she was
pissed when she thought it was permanent. I also came out to them when I
was 16 with a prank.”
“What? How did you do that?”
Cade went on to tell him how he’d come up with this whole story,
using his female best friend at the time, as an accomplice. They’d sat his
parents down, told them they were pregnant, even copied an ultrasound
picture, from a book in the library. They told them they planned to get
married, but needed their parents’ signatures to marry at their age. They had
printed out a marriage license and had everything there for his parents. He
said both of his parents started yelling at them, telling them they were too
young to get married, and there was no way in hell they would sign
anything.
Apparently after more yelling and his mother crying, he finally
confessed. “Mom and Dad, I’m just kidding. Jen isn’t pregnant, and we’re
not getting married. I’m gay.”
His mother’s crying had slowly diminished, as she looked at them
both, bewildered. After several beats of complete silence, she began to
laugh and then more tears came and she’d yelled, “Dammit, Zavier! Oh
thank god!”
His dad, after rubbing his face and yanking on his hair in
exasperation, shook his head, took a deep breath and growled. “Zavier,
don’t scare your mother like that! Shit son, we don’t care who you’re
boffing, just use a damned condom! Jen, honey, you staying for dinner?”
And that was that.
That story prompted Braden’s telling of his coming out story. How he
grew up with his grandparents and finally got up the courage to tell his
Nana when he was 14. He sat her down and told her that he had a crush on
someone. Just as he was about to take the plunge and tell her, she smiled.
“What’s his name?” He’d been so scared and stressed to say it, he just
stared at her shocked, and then started crying, and then they were both
crying, and she told him she had known for some time and was just waiting
for him to come to her.
“She sounds great. Are your grandparents still alive?”
A sad smile flitted across Braden’s face. “Papa passed my senior year
of high school. That was a tough year for us. Nana is still alive. She’s quite
the character. Lives in a retirement home, and I swear she has half the men
there following her around. She’s a flirt, and she has more dates than a
single woman half her age.”
Cade grinned. “She sounds like a kick in the pants.”
Braden nodded. “She’s the best.”
Cade sat silently for a couple minutes, watching Braden closely. They
sat together on the sofa, near enough to touch. Braden felt shy and blushed
a little at the attention, but the silence felt comfortable. Cade leaned forward
and tucked a silky thread of Braden’s hair behind his ear. “Braden, you look
tired. Are you ready to go back to sleep?”
 Braden blinked. “Sorry, yeah, still feeling a bit off. I think I’d like to
take a shower before getting back in bed, since I didn’t have the energy this
morning.”
“Don’t apologize.” Cade gave Braden a patient smile, eyebrows
raised. “Are you sure you have the energy now?”
“I’ll take a really quick one, but I think it will make me feel better.”
Cade stood and helped Braden to his feet. “OK, I’ll clean up the mess
from dinner, you go take your shower, and I’ll come and check on you in
bit.”
“I’ll be fine, you don’t have to...”
Cade gave Braden’s hand a gently squeeze. “I want to.”
Braden ducked his head shyly and went back to his bedroom. Once in
his bathroom, with a fresh change of clothes, he looked at himself in the
mirror and was surprised to see that he had a smile on his face. Once he was
out of the shower, had his teeth brushed and his insulin injected, he headed
back into his bedroom where he got himself back under the covers. He sat
for a few minutes, thinking about the man that was now sharing his living
space for the foreseeable future.
Cade was the epitome of everything Braden had ever been attracted
to. The thought scared him, but it also intrigued him. He hadn’t had feelings
like this in more than a year and a half. In fact, he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt
this pull, this energy, around anyone. Sure, he’d felt attraction before, but
this, this felt altogether different. It felt like he had an internal hum
resonating through his body when he was near Cade. When Cade touched
him, even if it was just briefly, he felt electricity whirring through his veins.
He wasn’t used to being pursued. When he was attracted to someone,
he usually forced his shy nature aside in order to make the first move. He
thought it was because he didn’t like being alone so he took matters into his
own hands, but he knew enough about himself to know that it was also
because he needed a measure of control in making the choice of who to
approach. Therefore, the fact that Cade was the one essentially hitting on
him and pursuing him had him off kilter. However, this time Braden wasn’t
feeling the stress of making any moves, and it felt right, letting Cade take
the lead. He felt some measure of control, because he knew he could say no
whenever he wanted to, and Cade would back off. He had no idea why he
felt like he could trust that about him, but he felt sure that he could.
From what Cade said, if he could be believed, he was feeling
something similar. No matter how many ways he looked at it, Braden
couldn’t figure out any reason at all that Cade would lie to him about it. He
wouldn’t gain anything. He was best friends with Cooper, not to mention
business partners. He was gay and out. He was going to protect and
investigate the stalker situation for free. Cooper and Maya were remarkably
alike, and Maya was a great judge of character, so he already felt he could
trust Cade to be truthful about most anything, just because Cooper trusted
him implicitly. If anything, lying would not only be illogical, but it would
risk his relationship with Cooper, if he ended up hurting Braden, because
Maya would be out for blood, and Cooper was an extremely protective
older brother.
While it didn’t make sense to Braden that someone like Cade could
be interested in someone like him, it made even less sense that he’d lie
about it. In fact, he had been so completely forthright about everything so
far, that Braden could do nothing but admire him and believe him, doing
anything else seemed disrespectful. The things that Cade had said took an
amazing amount of courage to tell someone you’ve known for months; let
alone someone you’ve known for less than 48 hours.
 This feeling of trust towards a man who was interested in him was so
completely foreign and utterly inexplicable that he felt overwhelmed and
yet strangely euphoric about it, which put a huge smile on his face. Cade
knocked on the door frame before walking in. He’d changed into some
plaid pajama bottoms and a tight white t-shirt. He looked delicious, and
Braden caught himself, before he said something like that out loud, or
licked his lips, or did something equally ridiculous and embarrassing.
Cade stopped in the middle of Braden’s room as if dumbfounded. He
shook his head. “God, that smile. I could look at that smile every day and
still never get enough of it. I don’t even…. What was I…. Oh, I brought
you some water. Do you need to take pain pills?”
Braden blushed and tried not to smile even wider as a result of Cade’s
compliment. “No, thanks. I’m just a bit groggy and really exhausted still,
but I don’t have any pain right now. I’ll take the water, though.”
“OK. So you don’t need me to rub your temples or hold an ice pack
to your head. I’m trying to figure out any other reason you might need me
to sleep in here with you again. Zombie apocalypse? Killer bees?”
That surprised a laugh out of Braden, and he felt comfortable enough
to flirt back in response. “Sadly, I don’t remember much of last night, but
I’m almost 100 percent positive I would have thoroughly enjoyed being
held in your arms all night, even without the imminent threat of zombies or
killer bees.”
Cade, eyes wide, lifted both arms, looking at them like he’d never
seen them before. “Yeah? These arms?”
Braden chuckled. “Yeah, those are the ones.”
“So that means I can stay, right?”
Braden smiled flirtatiously and shook his head. “Nope.”
“Damn.”
 Braden smirked. “I think you’ll live. My guest bedroom has a pretty
nice bed in it.”
“Right, but it doesn’t have you in it.” Cade sighed dramatically. “I
suppose I’ll muddle through.” He leaned forward, caressed Braden’s cheek,
kissed his temple and whispered softly in his ear. “Sleep well, Braden.”
Braden shivered from the touch, the kiss, and the sexy whispered
words and couldn’t help but watch as Cade left, giving him a fantastic view
of his tight round ass. Braden sighed as he lay down and got comfortable.
There was no stopping it; he was going to have dreams, really good dreams,
of that perfect ass, among other things.

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade woke up around 5 a.m., headed to the electric kettle to heat up
some water for his coffee and heard a noise in Braden’s room. Curious, as
he hadn’t expected Braden to be awake, he walked in there and caught
Braden doing yoga or some sort of sexy, flexible… something. He propped
his shoulder on the doorjamb, crossed his arms over his chest and rested
one ankle over the other, getting comfortable, as he intended to watch
Braden do…whatever it was he was doing.
He was already in full on running gear, which seemed so incongruous
with what Cade thought of as Braden’s hipster, metrosexual vibe that he
could do nothing but grin and watch him while he contorted his body into
positions that really shouldn’t be physically possible. Frankly, it was giving
him a semi, and a couple more downward dog, upward dog combos and
Cade was going to embarrass himself. He must have made some sort of
noise; his guess was a whimper, because Braden jumped and swung around
towards him.
“Jesus, Zavier, you scared the shit out of me!”
Cade rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and smiled. “Sorry,
I…. You’re really bendy.”
Braden huffed out a laugh. “Bendy? I guess it comes with the
territory. In order to be able to run as much as I need to, I have to make sure
my muscles stay loose, so there’s an enormous amount of stretching. Oh,
and yoga, and Pilates.”
 “Pilates? I don’t know what that is, but I can see it’s helpful, you
know, with being… bendy. So I take it we’re running today? I guess a little
stretching is in order for me as well. Are you going to take it easy on me?”
“So, you weren’t exaggerating when you said you’d be my shadow?
You’re really going running with me?”
“Exaggerating? I’m afraid not. I’m taking this really seriously. You
should as well. This stalker thing is no joke. I’ll do my best to be as
unobtrusive as possible. I’m sure you like your solitude; I can even run
behind you if you need space. As much as I want to get to know you and
see where that takes us, I don’t want to use this situation to insinuate myself
where I’m not wanted. Please believe that, Braden.”
“I do believe that. And, we are getting to know each other. So I guess
I’ll have to take it easy on you, won’t I? I don’t really have the energy after
the migraine to go full tilt anyway.”
“Alright, so do you want to eat first? If not, let me go get ready.”
“I was going to make some breakfast quick before I left, so why don’t
you go get ready and I’ll fix us something. We won’t be running until
around 7. I need to get over to the café and make my first batch of fresh
scones and muffins. While those are baking, I make croissant dough and
some other batters for later in the day. I run while the dough is rising, then I
come back for my second batch of baking. While I’m running, you can run
beside me, but I need that time to empty my head and relieve my stress, so I
usually don’t talk much and most of the time I have my buds in. Sorry.”
“That’s fine Braden, don’t apologize. Whatever works best for you.
We’ll need to have a discussion sometime later today about the stalker,
there’s no away around that, but if you’re willing to talk while you’re
baking, that will work for me.”
Braden nodded. “Can we have that talk after we run?
 “Yeah, of course.”
“Thanks. Do you like eggs?”
Cade smiled. “You’d be hard pressed to find food I don’t like. Now,
MREs I will gladly do without for the rest of my days, but real food? I’m a
glutton.”
“All right, eggs it is.”
Cade stepped into the kitchen wearing compression shorts covered by
long loose basketball shorts, and a loose wicking tee. Braden took notice of
the tattoos on his legs as well as his arms and found his mouth going dry.
He turned away, forcing himself to focus on breakfast instead of this giant
sex god, walking around with beautiful artwork covering half of his body.
After eating breakfast, just before they walked out the door, Cade
stopped Braden. “While I’m protecting you, I’ll always need to be on your
right side so that my right hand is free to draw my weapon. You probably
won’t remember that, and there’s no need for you to, I just wanted you to
understand why I may sometimes reposition you or myself to ensure that’s
the case. I may also situate myself behind you, on that side, as well.”
Braden hadn’t thought about the fact that Cade would be armed,
though it made perfect sense. He was a little uneasy knowing that, but he
supposed it was better he did than be surprised by it later. They walked over
to the café. For the first half hour he inventoried what was needed, got to
work prepping his work area and getting all of his ingredients out. Cade
brought his iPad and got some work done while Braden, buds in his ears,
made several batches of scones and muffins and put them in the ovens to
bake. After that he started on some other batters and bread dough and set
them aside for when he returned from his run. Taking out the first batches
of scones and muffins from the ovens, he placed them on the counter and
looked up at Cade’s loud throat clearing. He took out his buds when he saw
the look of yearning on Cade’s face.
Braden chuckled. “Give them a couple minutes to set and cool so you
don’t burn your mouth and then take whatever you want.”
Right around that time, Cade heard a loud bell ring and watched
Braden pick up a cloth from the counter to wipe his hands. He walked
towards the back door, but Cade stopped him with a gentle hand on his
shoulder. “Is that the back doorbell?”
“Yes, Layla is here. She comes in to get the café set up with the
baked goods and gets the coffee started, and in another few minutes, Zoe
will arrive to get the register drawers in so they can open the doors at 7
a.m.”
Cade assured him, “Go ahead and keep working, I’ll let her in.”
Layla looked surprised to see him and took a step back.
“Sorry to surprise you, Layla. I’m here with Braden, come on in.”
“OK,” Layla practically squeaked as she slid past him as quickly as
her little feet would carry her and went to the break room to lock up her
stuff, before putting on her apron. She grabbed one of the trays Braden had
filled with the fresh baked goods and was about to make her escape when
Cade reached out and snagged one of the scones from the tray and gave her
a wink and a lazy, flirtatious smile. She raised her eyes that were now wide
in shock to Cade and let out a startled little “meep” before practically
running to the front of the cafe.
Cade chuckled and took a bite of the scone and stopped in the middle
of the kitchen in bliss, making a deep rumbling sound of sheer happiness
when the flavors burst on his tongue. He looked over at Braden, who was
pulling out a few more pans of baked goods from the oven and shaking his
head in exasperation.
 “You’re gonna scare the girl to death. She’s already a little jumpy
around me, now she’s got gigantor to contend with, too? She’ll expire on
the spot, if you keep flirting with her!”
Cade laughed and lied through his teeth. “I’m harmless, and I wasn’t
flirting! She was taking my scone!”
“I saved you a scone and a muffin, right by your iPad.”
“Oh good, this one won’t be enough, and don’t think you’re gonna
get away with calling me Gigantor without some retribution.”
“Retribution? Like what? And, would you prefer gladiator, the Jolly
Green Giant?”
Cade’s deadpan face and raised eyebrow was almost comical. “If I
was green, I’d be the Hulk, thank you very much. I’ll think of something for
retribution, and yeah, Gladiator is better and much more accurate.”
Braden threw up his hands in surrender and went back to work,
mumbling about hot giants with huge egos. Pretty soon, Braden was taking
the last tray out of the oven and the back doorbell rang again. Looking
through the peephole, Cade glanced back in surprise, Braden grinned.
“Tattooed, pin-up knockout. Remind you of anyone?”
Cade raised his eyebrows when Braden laughed at the look on his
face, shrugged and opened the door to the woman that could only be Zoe.
They took stock of each other for several moments and then both of them
grinned like loons, each apparently didn’t quite believe they were looking at
the other.
“Well, aren’t you something, Miss Boop.”
“Not so bad yourself, G.I. Joe.”
“What gave me away?”
She sauntered by him and poked his left arm, directly on the spot
where he had his Special Forces tattoo that was somewhat obscured within
a bigger tattoo. Impressed, and liking her sassy attitude, he followed her in,
after closing and locking the door and admired the gorgeous and vividly
colorful tattoos she sported on her arms. He made a mental note to ask her
who the artist was, as they were extremely talented and he’d need a local
tattooist.
He watched her approach Braden, who smiled and tilted his face
down for her to kiss. “Hey, Boop.”
Zoe hugged Braden around the waist. “Hi, Sweets. This big lug here
to take care of you?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Good. Can’t have anything happen to our boy.” She smiled coyly at
Cade and leaned over to his plate and stole the scone.
“Hey!”
“Oh stop, there’s more where that came from, big guy. Try the
chocolate ones.”
“You guys are going to give me a complex. Between being called
Gigantor, big guy, and a big lug, I’m feeling rather self-conscious!”
“Gigantor? Love it! Braden, you slay me.” Still laughing, Zoe bit into
the scone, winked at him cheekily and swished her hips into the office.
Braden smiled as he loaded up the last of the trays, and Layla came
back in to grab another one to take to the front, avoiding Cade’s eyes.
Braden pulled off his apron and once again looked like the distance runner
he was instead of the baker. Cade stood and picked up his iPhone. He left
his iPad next to the plate with the muffin. Braden asked Cade if he was
ready and they both headed out of the café. Stretching for a few minutes in
silence, they both strapped on their iPhones and earbuds and went for a run.
After a couple miles, Cade caught Braden watching him and had to
ask what was going on. Getting Braden to actually tell him what was on his
mind was like pulling teeth. He had the ridiculous notion that Cade
wouldn’t want to hear what Braden said about his running form. Apparently
his shoulders weren’t relaxed enough and he wasn’t keeping his elbows at a
90-degree angle. Once Cade convinced him that he wanted to fix his form
and actually listen to Braden’s advice, Braden was very forthcoming on
how to go about it.
Cade was pretty happy with the end results, because he actually felt
better physically than he usually would after a long run was over, with the
improvements Braden had suggested. Braden obviously knew what he was
talking about, because everything about his running form was perfection.
Cade was able to keep up with him only because Braden was still feeling
wrung out from the migraine. They ran a little over four miles, and Cade
had no problem running that distance, but he knew that Braden was keeping
his pace much slower than he normally would. Cade felt that once Braden
realized that he very much wanted Braden’s advice, things were much more
relaxed and companionable the rest of the way.
What bothered Cade was Braden’s reticence to tell him what he was
thinking. He seemed afraid to give his opinion, like Cade would berate him
or be angry with him for voicing his thoughts. He had a feeling the past
relationship that Maya had warned him about was what made Braden so
cautious to voice his opinion. Without blatantly coming out and asking
Braden that point blank, which he had a feeling would just make this
fledgling friendship they were starting come to a screeching halt, Cade had
to be sure he let Braden know with his actions that he felt his opinions and
feelings were very important. He never wanted Braden to feel like he had to
hesitate to tell him anything. He also wanted Braden to lighten up a little
and feel more relaxed around him.
 They both showered after their run and met up in the kitchen where
Cade could do nothing but enjoy looking at Braden. He’d put on a pair of
black rectangular glasses and tied his hair up in some kind of messy bun.
He wore some brown leather well-worn ankle boots, with dark wash fitted
and cuffed jeans, an old and very faded Beatles t-shirt with a plaid cotton
button up shirt layered on top. The rolled up sleeves showed off a very wide
leather cuff-like bracelet, that upon Braden’s wrist turning, Cade realized
was a very familiar McCade Watch. He smiled wide and tucked that piece
of information away for later, not to mention, a discussion with his family
regarding offering a new type of band.
He was beginning to realize that Braden had a really sexy style that
he never knew he’d be so utterly enamored with. His own sense of style
was practically non-existent. His mother called it “military chic”, as most of
the men in the family were soldiers or sailors and shared the same exact
military palette. Not to mention most of the men were over 6’4” so a lot of
their clothing had to be tailored. More often than not, he was wearing a pair
of tactical pants with a comfortable cotton shirt. He’d never cared one way
or another about clothing and wore what was comfortable and practical. In
fact, he’d never really been interested in fashion as it related to his past
partners, but he could now see that Braden was very fashion forward, while
still maintaining a completely relaxed feel about it all. He knew if he
commented about Braden’s appearance, he would blush and get
uncomfortable, so he merely gave Braden a very admiring look, which no
one could misinterpret. “Glasses?”
Cade could tell by the look on Braden’s face that even though he’d
done his best not to embarrass him, Braden couldn’t keep the blush from
suffusing his skin. He touched the side of his glasses shyly. “Yeah, I’ve
been wearing my contacts for a few days too long. I forgot to change them
out because of the migraine, and my eyes are getting tired, so I’m giving
them a break today.”
Cade smiled at him. “They suit you.”
Braden avoided eye contact and stammered. “Uh, thanks. Ready to
go back over to the café?”
“Yep, ready when you are.”

Once they arrived at the cafe, Maya practically attacked Braden in

her exuberance to see him. They hugged for what seemed like five minutes,
swaying back and forth, whispering to each other.
Cade could see tears in Maya’s eyes and though he didn’t want to see
her sad, Cade loved watching it. He loved that Braden had her in his life
and that she so obviously loved Braden just as much as he loved her. Cade
was so engrossed watching their bond, that it didn’t even occur to him that
he should leave them alone. They talked for several minutes, quietly, in the
corner of the kitchen. Maya peeked around Braden several times, checking
out Cade and smiling knowingly. God knows what Braden was telling her,
but he kept a smile on his face, because it couldn’t be bad when she had that
devilish look in her eyes. After their conversation died down, she admitted
she had to get back up to the front. They hugged again, and Cade heard
Braden murmur, “I love you too, baby girl.”
Braden got to work, and a certain calm came over him that Cade
really enjoyed. He was in his element in his kitchen, and contentment
shined through. Cade verified with Braden that he wouldn’t leave the
kitchen, locked the outer door, and warned Braden not to open it for any
reason. Cade told him if any deliveries came through that door going
forward, he would be the one to answer it. He left Braden to his baking
while he looked around the whole cafe, front to back, to figure out what
security issues there might be. They had a security system that was subpar,
which would need to go right away. He placed a call to his team and got
Sawyer and Jackson to make the trip out with the right systems and
equipment to arm the place properly, as well as Braden and Maya’s places,
as it didn’t look like they had any security at all. He also asked them to
bring several tracers for Braden, should they be needed.
When they’d left Custos, they’d placed it in the very capable hands of
Micah Reynolds, another former captain in the Special Forces. Once they’d
become large enough to justify it, he and Cooper had decided that they
needed to operate much like their detachments had in the Army. They
needed all of their guardians to be fully trained in their specialties and cross
trained in other specialties in order to be wholly capable of managing small
jobs independently, standard jobs as a unit, and large jobs as a cohesive
team.
What that meant, in a nutshell, was that Cooper and Cade could leave
Custos in the hands of one of a few extremely competent unit leaders and
fully expect that everything would be handled as professionally as they
would manage things themselves. They would still manage the business
aspect of their security company remotely, the financials, the human
relations, and marketing; but the day to day aspect of running operations,
assigning security detail, and maintaining the status quo would fall on the
shoulders of someone equally qualified. Micah was managing things for
them while they were handling these cases and it was gratifying to know
that they didn’t have to worry about things going to shit if they weren’t
physically on site managing Custos themselves.
 Feeling more at ease, now that help was on the way, he went back
into the kitchen and asked Braden if he was doing all right. Braden didn’t
respond, and Cade realized he had his buds in. He got closer to Braden,
made sure to come from the side, so as not to spook him. Braden looked up
and noticed him, pulled out a bud and smiled. “Hey, sorry, were you talking
to me? I tend to zone out.”
Cade reached over, borrowed the bud, listened to the music and
smiled when he realized it was Ray La Montagne, one of Cade’s top
choices as well. Handing the bud back, he ran a wide, gentle hand up
Braden’s back as he leaned his hip against the work counter. “Just checking
on you. Do you need anything to eat or to check your blood?”
Braden looked at him, a little surprised. He smiled and showed Cade
his watch on the underside of his wrist. He tapped it a couple times, brought
up a screen that showed a timer and then touched Cade’s other arm. “What
you saw a couple days ago was an aberration, I promise you. I’m very good
at taking care of my health, Cade. I have to be, or you see what happens.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg of what could happen, if I become lax in
my diligence. I’ll get a snack in a few minutes, after I put these in the oven,
and in another two hours or so, I’ll eat, check my levels and give myself an
injection.”
Cade nodded his head sheepishly. “Of course, you’re right, sorry.”
“I’m not. I’m not sorry you asked at all. You can continue to ask me
anything, it won’t upset me.”
“OK, then one more question?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“I know they have those pumps that you can get that deliver insulin
automatically. Why not do that?”
 Braden’s nose scrunched up, and Cade just wanted to kiss it. “I tried a
pump, years ago. Hated it. I need to feel like I’m controlling my diabetes,
not like it’s controlling me. The pump is connected to you with tubing, just
like a catheter and I hated how it felt, how it was connected to me, how I
couldn’t get away from it. I had some bad readings and some other issues
with it. My Endo took me off of it after less than a month, and I was happy
to see it go. I manage my diabetes with MDI, which means I have to have at
least four injections a day, sometimes more, if needed.”
“What’s MDI?”
“Multiple daily injections, some of them slow acting to last all day,
others fast acting around meal times. To some, it seems like a reason to get
on the pump, but for me, it’s a reason to keep going with injections, because
I’m very regimented and scheduled, so it helps me keep my numbers more
in check that way. It’s what works for me and my lifestyle.”
“I didn’t know it was that complicated. Will you share your schedule
with me, so I can understand it?”
Confused, but somewhat intrigued by the idea, Braden’s brows rose.
“You want to know my insulin schedule?”
“Yeah, I do. I think it would be good for me to have it, if that doesn’t
bother you.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t know why you’d want or need it, but it doesn’t
bother me at all to give it to you.”
“OK, good, thanks. I hate to bring it up, but we need to talk about the
notes. I need to get information from you in order to know how to go about
figuring out how to get this guy. I don’t want to get in your way here, but
since it’s been a couple days, we can’t put it off any longer. Are you OK to
keep working while I ask the questions?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
 For the next few hours, Braden baked and Cade asked probing
questions to learn as much as he could about the stalker. Braden had been
receiving notes from his stalker for about three months. They arrived in his
mail box, on his car windshield, in the business mail slot and taped to the
back door of the cafe. Some weeks he would receive three, some none, with
no discernible pattern in their delivery. The only common thread that Cade
could find was that they all seemed to revolve around Braden’s running
schedule, as that is when he was out in public most often, and readily
available to the stalker. As he’d mentioned before, he was pretty set in his
routine and wasn’t very social. Mostly he worked, and he ran.
After the first month or so, he began to take things more seriously
and pay close attention to his surroundings, but he never noticed anyone
lurking. He changed his schedule, in that he didn’t run at night any longer,
but the notes continued. He told Cade that he hadn’t even dated in a little
over a year, so there were no recent rejections or scorned lovers wanting to
scare him. He admitted that he had received several hang-ups over the last
several months, but he had never thought to tie them to the stalker, because
nothing had ever been said. He also stated that there were no break-ins and
that he’d never felt that someone had been in his space at work or home.
The difficult questions began when Cade started asking about all of
his past relationships. For now, Cade wanted to focus on the last five years,
which would mean Nick Stevens, Owen Hoffman, and Eric Pollard. Braden
began feeling stressed out about answering these questions and Cade could
see it in the set of his shoulders and the stilted way he began moving. Prior
to that line of questioning, Cade had enjoyed the fluidity in which Braden
seemed to move. Everything in the kitchen was where it was needed and the
way Braden moved and worked was almost like a dance. That ended
immediately upon the questions involving his last five years of
relationships.
Cade knew he needed to tread lightly, not so that he could get all of
his questions answered, though that was part of it, but more because he
could tell this was taking its toll on Braden and he was here to fix the
problem, not make Braden feel worse. Cade took a few seconds to settle
himself and be completely calm for Braden, knowing that how he asked
these questions and how Braden would react to them would be hard to
overcome if it wasn’t handled just right. Just as he was about to begin with
the questions, Braden’s watch alarm beeped. Cade could tell that the alarm
felt like a “saved by the bell” moment for Braden, so he suggested that
Braden go get his insulin dose while he grabbed them some lunch at the deli
down the street. Braden smiled at him in relief, already relaxing knowing he
had a small reprieve.
After getting Braden’s order and his promise not to leave the cafe,
Cade ran up to the front, surprised to see how busy the place was. He asked
Maya and Layla if they wanted him to pick up anything. He took his time
walking down to the deli and called Cooper on the way. “Hey, how’s the
Kensington job?”
“Boring and easy, but the place is a palace, so it’s time consuming.
They just want us to upgrade the system and cameras, but they want to stick
with their own security people at their gate. Mrs. Kensington looked
decidedly uncomfortable after I asked if she felt she had the right people for
the job. Blushed down to her roots and admitted that the owner of that
security firm was a cousin, or something. Guess we’ll hear from them if
they have issues there. I should be done at the end of the day tomorrow, if
all goes as it should.”
 “Sounds like you’ve got it covered. I’m going to need you on this
once you’re free. I’ve got Jackson and Sawyer on their way here with full
systems for the cafe, Braden’s place, and Maya’s along with tracers for
Braden. They’re also bringing other supplies and firearms we might need.
Olivia has them on a flight tomorrow so they have time to pack everything
up. She’s got a car rental for them and a hotel room as well. They should be
here no later than tomorrow evening. They have a shit system here that a
12-year-old could bypass and as far as I can see, a deadbolt on their front
doors is the only thing they’ve got in their homes.”
“Good, yeah, I read Maya the riot act about that yesterday as well.
She didn’t want my interference and made a promise that she’d get a system
set up for herself back when they started up the cafe. She thought that the
crap system they had installed there was enough to feel like she was
keeping her word. I didn’t call in the troops because I knew that was
something you’d take care of today. I need my little sister safe, and I get the
feeling that you need your boy to be safe as well.”
Cade grumbled at that. “He’s a man, Coop. Don’t piss me off.”
“Yeah, he’s a man, but he’s your boy. You’re all growly and
protective around him, and from what Maya has said he’s not used to it, but
he likes it, a lot. Admit it, you’re already thinking of him as yours, aren’t
you? I told you it would happen sooner than you expected. Shit, I’m good.”
“It’s too soon to know, but if you’re asking if I’m protective of him,
fuck yes, so keep the jokes to a minimum.”
“See? Growly. Too soon to know, my ass, Cade, you’ve never acted
like this with anyone before. Not to mention, he seems to be exactly the
type you need. He’s your boy and you know I won’t disrespect that.”
Cade sighed. He couldn’t help but admit it. “Yeah, I do. OK, so I
haven’t gotten much that we can use so far. He was more forthcoming with
me than he was with the cop, but there’s not much there. However, when I
began to steer the conversation towards his past relationships, he tensed up
like crazy, so I think that’s where we’re gonna get what we need, but I have
to be careful not to set him off. I’m going into the deli to buy everyone
lunch, so let me get to it, and I’ll talk to you tonight once I’ve got more info
regarding some suspects. My gut says the shitty relationship that Maya
mentioned to us that first night is going to be where the goods are, but we’ll
see.”
“Agreed. Talk to you later.”
Cade placed his order and waited for it to be ready. He drew some
admiring glances from other customers, both male and female, but was able
to stave off any come-ons by focusing on his phone where he responded to
a few work inquiries. He grabbed his order when it was ready and went
back to the café, already feeling uneasy about Braden being without his
protection for so long. He needed to get someone else to run out for lunch
going forward.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden finished with his injection and walked back into the kitchen
to check on some muffins in one of the ovens. He was hungry for lunch, but
also nervous about telling Cade about his past mistakes--and that’s what the
last five years’ worth of relationships had been. He knew he’d have to share
a lot of information he’d much rather keep to himself. He knew Cade was
aware of his unease. He seemed to be able to read him like a book, which
made no sense, but was true, nonetheless. Cade knew exactly when he
needed a break, so he’d come up with an excuse to give Braden a few
minutes to get his shit together.
Braden had just removed the muffins from the oven and was just
about to start a batch of cookies when Cade arrived with lunch. They spent
a relaxing 30 minutes just eating and chatting about music and other non-
threatening things. Braden got up to walk back to the kitchen to begin
baking the cookies and told Cade that he was ready to talk.
Braden figured he needed to metaphorically pull on his big boy shorts
and get this awful conversation over with. Cade needed the info, and at this
point Braden just needed to get it off his chest. He started by discussing his
relationship with Nick. He gave him Nick’s full name, occupation, and the
information he had about his last known address and phone number.
He went on to tell Cade the embarrassing story of his relationship
with Nick, such as it was. Cade asked him a lot of questions about things he
hadn’t even thought of telling him. They had been seeing each other for
about six months, and Braden had thought it was going really well, until the
night he’d gone to a local gay dance club with Maya to have some fun and
let off some steam, a night he had been told that Nick had to work late.
He’d caught Nick on the dance floor, plastered all over some bear. He went
on to tell Cade that Nick had tried to call him repeatedly after getting
caught, but Braden had never answered the phone and had tossed out the
flowers that had been delivered to the cafe. There had been about five
phone calls and messages and numerous texts, but after receiving no
response, Nick had given up, and they’d never spoken again.
What he didn’t tell Cade was that Maya had wanted to hightail it out
of the club that night immediately, but he’d insisted on staying and waiting
until Nick saw him there. He’d ordered a beer, which he never did, chatted
with Maya like nothing was amiss, and when a startled Nick looked up
from his make-out session into Braden’s eyes, Braden had saluted him with
his bottle, tossed the rest of it back, grabbed Maya’s hand and walked
casually out of there, like he hadn’t been heartbroken. Of course, he also
didn’t mention that he’d cried the whole cab ride home in Maya’s arms and
had been depressed for several months after that.
Next, he told Cade the story of Owen, the guy to follow Nick. He had
dated Owen for only about four months. They’d agreed to be exclusive,
something that Braden had wanted discussed prior to going very far in the
relationship as a response to the Nick disaster. Braden had really liked
Owen and had a lot of fun with him. Just when Braden thought things were
getting pretty serious, Owen had taken Braden out on a date on a Saturday
night. They’d both come back to Braden’s apartment, and Owen had spent
the night. When Braden woke up, Owen was gone, and he’d left a note
saying that it had been fun while it lasted, but he’d accepted a job in LA,
was packed and moving that day to start a new job on Monday. He’d never
contacted Owen after that, and Owen had never contacted him.
 Cade asked probing questions and had him tell the story and then tell
that same story again, his questions revealing more details. He started to see
a pattern to what Cade was asking and when he thought about it, he realized
that Cade was really good at getting details he would have otherwise
forgotten. What he thought would maybe take an hour at most to discuss all
three of his exes turned into nearly two for just the first two men. He felt
wrung out and yet, his respect for Cade grew.
Cade knew exactly what to ask, how to ask it, and when. He was
polite and yet knew when to push to get what he needed. Braden could tell
that he was very good at his job. Cade had been typing up notes on his
laptop the whole time he’d been talking and yet Braden didn’t feel like just
another job to Cade. When Cade asked a question, he made sure to make
eye contact with Braden. It was almost like Cade was reassuring Braden the
whole time he was talking. Not that it made Braden feel much better about
having to go through it all.
At that point he’d rather not think about how pathetic he now seemed
to Cade. He hadn’t even begun to talk about Eric and he felt humiliated. He
knew he needed to get it over with, but damned if he wanted to discuss that
pain with a near stranger. Scratch that, Cade didn’t feel like a stranger at all,
and that was probably the biggest issue right there. Perhaps it would be
easier to tell a stranger, but telling this big, virile, ridiculously sexy man
who was in turn so gentle with him, so honest with him and was genuinely
interested in him was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever done.
He didn’t want to appear weak to Cade, or perhaps more accurately,
he didn’t want to appear any weaker to him than he already appeared. Cade
was going to know every single skeleton in his closet and as much as he
prided himself as being an honest man, there was quite a difference between
being honest, and completely baring your every secret to a man you were
not only interested in, but had only met a handful of days ago. He could feel
the stress building, and he knew that he had only one option open to him
right now. He needed to get it out, get it done, and run.

Cade could see the wheels turning in Braden’s head. He had a feeling
that he was about to hear about the abusive ex-boyfriend and as much as he
knew he needed to hear it, he hated it as well. He hated that look of dread
and embarrassment on Braden’s face. He hated having to put Braden
through the retelling. He hated that someone was scaring Braden like this
now, causing him to have to bare his soul to Cade before he was ready. God,
his respect and admiration for Braden was growing every minute. He’d had
to ask a lot of questions and have Braden tell him everything multiple times
to be sure he learned all he needed to learn about his relationships.
Throughout everything, Braden answered every single question and didn’t
have a single negative reaction.
Cade was used to people getting pissed off when he had to ask
probing questions about their past. He’d had people run the gamut of
emotions, from anger, to sorrow to embarrassment and lashing out with all
of them. He was used to cataloguing people’s reactions, and he excelled at
discerning facial micro expressions. As part of his military training, he’d
learned all about interrogation techniques, and facial micro expressions
were a large part of understanding people and what made them tick. Braden
had yet to rehash his abusive relationship with him, but already Cade could
tell that he would get it done. He was beginning to understand that Braden
was brave as hell, and stronger than many men Cade had worked with in the
military.
 Braden had done well when discussing Owen and Nick. Cade could
tell that he was feeling worn out, but that he was also feeling resigned to
getting everything done and over with. Cade was about to suggest a break,
when Braden spoke up, cementing Cade’s utter respect for Braden’s inner
fortitude.
“OK, so I know you need to hear about Eric next. I have to be honest
with you and say that it’s going to fucking suck for me. So I’m going to tell
you what I need to do in order to get through this. Is that OK?”
“Whatever you need, Braden. If you need to take a break and tell me
later or after a run, that’s OK. You tell me how it’s going to go, and I’ll
work around your needs.”
“I want to get this over with as fast as possible. I’m already on edge
and stressed about it. I’ll tell you what you need to know, and you can ask
what you need to ask. First, I’m going to grab a snack, and then keep
working through our discussion because the more I work and keep busy, the
easier it will be for me to get through it. Afterwards, I’m going to have to
get the hell out of here and run. At this point, I can’t tell you how many
miles I’m going to need to go to run it off, but the four miles we ran this
morning will be a cakewalk. So do what you need to do to be able to follow
me. I’m going to ask that however you do it, you do it behind me so that I
can at least have the illusion of privacy.”
“Are you going to grab your snack here? I need to place a call but
want to be sure you’re not leaving.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“OK, I’ll be back in a few.”
Cade walked to the office and placed his call to Cooper.
“Where are you?”
 “As always, you have impeccable timing, Cade. I’m just parking
outside of Maya’s house. Was gonna change into some gear and visit
Vaughn’s gym.”
“I’m gonna need you here instead. You ready to get a good, long run
in?”
“Uh, sure, I could stand a run. You need me right now? What’s going
on?”
“Braden’s going to be talking me through some hard shit and knows
that afterwards he’s going to want to run to help get through it. So after he
talks to me, he’ll want to go right away. We ran four miles this morning,
which he said will be a cakewalk, compared to what he’ll need to run
tonight. My guess is more than ten miles, but that’s just a guess. I mean,
fuck, he runs ultra-marathons. Which, can I just say, I didn’t even know
existed until I met Braden. When I looked them up, I found out that they
range from 30 to 100 miles.”
“So what you’re saying is that we’re fucked six ways from Sunday
when it comes to keeping up with him, and that Maya wasn’t even joking
when she suggested that he could run circles around us.”
“Pretty much, but we need to do what we need to do to ensure he’s
safe tonight. As much as I don’t want to do it, I might have to ask Jackson
and Sawyer to spell us once they get here, if he needs to run too far in the
future. I could push myself, but I won’t be at my best to protect him if I’m
exhausted from just following him.”
“Well, we don’t have access to them right now, so we’ll have to relay
it tonight, just you and me. Since you ran this morning already, why don’t
you let me run a big chunk of it tonight? I’ll call you when I’ve got about a
mile or two left in me before I’m done, so that you can take over from
where I leave off. I’ll skip the gym and just wait around until he’s ready to
go.”
“Yeah, that was my thought. Glad we’re on the same page. Make sure
you’re well-armed, though. I don’t expect the guy will make a move today,
out in broad daylight in public, but I want him covered.”
“That goes without saying, Cade. Do you want me to come over and
help with the questioning?”
“No, this is hard enough for him to do without having someone else
here. I’ll call you when he’s headed over to change for a run.”

Braden was finishing up with a big pan of coffee cake when Cade
came back in eating a banana and drinking a coffee.
His brows rose in interest. “Is that coffee cake?”
Smiling slightly at Cade’s hopeful question, he held a knife to one
side of the pan. “Yeah, tell me how big of a slice you want.”
As he moved the knife further and further out, he started laughing.
“You’re gonna eat this much cake?”
Cade looked at him as if his question was ridiculous. “Braden, coffee
cake is my favorite, and I’d be willing to bet from just smelling it, that
yours is going to be the best I’ve ever eaten. I could eat that whole damn
thing, so whatever you’re willing to give me is what I’ll take.”
Chuckling, despite his shitty mood, he cut off a gigantic portion of
the cake and set it on a plate in front of Cade. Thinking he’d be told it was
too much, he laughed harder when Cade looked at him with wonder in his
eyes and a huge grin. “Will you marry me?”
 Braden smirked and raised his eyebrows. “How about we wait until
we get to know each other a bit better before I agree to marriage? I will,
however, bake another coffee cake for the front, and bring the rest of this
one home for you. If I’d known it was your favorite, I would have done that
from the get go. You gotta keep me informed of your preferences, so I can
make you what you want.”
Cade’s mouth dropped open. “What? You mean I can make requests?
Are you even kidding me right now?”
Braden chuckled. “Nope, not kidding. I love baking for people. I’m
happiest when I know that I’m baking something specific for someone that
really loves it, so all you really gotta do is tell me what you like, and I’ll get
to work. Keep in mind, you may gain 50 pounds while you’re protecting
me.”
Cade shook his head. “Nah, I eat anything and everything and don’t
gain a pound. Pisses my mom and sister right off.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
Cade, foregoing the use of utensils, lifted the enormous piece of
coffee cake to his lips and took a massive bite. His eyes closed in bliss and
he moaned, loud and long. “Oh god, Bray, this is one of the best things I’ve
ever tasted.”
He took another bite and mumbled incoherently. Sexy noises that
sounded suspiciously like the type he’d make in bed, tumbled from his lips.
“Mmmm. This is better than my mom’s, but if you tell her I said that, I’ll
call you a liar.” Cade grinned, but then saw Braden’s expression. “Sorry, is
it OK that I called you Bray? I know it’s Maya’s nickname for you, but it
suits you.”
Braden blushed. He was glad Cade thought the expression on his face
was because of his use of the nickname, and not because Braden was half
hard and very close to jumping over the kitchen island to feast on Cade’s
lips. He cleared his throat. “No, I don’t mind if you call me Bray, and your
secret is safe with me.”
Cade looked up and his face went from pure enjoyment to very
serious. “You know your secrets are safe with me too, right, Braden? I’m
running your investigation and will be the one closest to you at all times.
I’ll be sharing some of your info with Cooper, but I won’t be sharing it all.
I’ll make sure he knows enough to be informed, but the rest I will keep to
myself, if that’s what you would prefer.”
Braden’s breath caught in relief. “Yeah, I would really appreciate
that. I know you guys need the info, but I’d prefer it if all of my personal
history wasn’t being shared with others. I guess, on that note, we should
probably get down to it, right?”
“At your pace, Braden.”
Braden shook his head. “My pace is warp speed, at this point. I don’t
like talking about it, and I want to get it over with.”
Braden then started telling Cade about Eric. He began with all of the
contact info he had and all of the other pertinent data Cade would need for
what Braden assumed would be ridiculously thorough background checks,
if Cade’s professional behavior was anything to go by. He talked about the
length of their relationship and the timing at which it went from bad to
worse. He ended telling him most of the story of the final time he had been
beaten. Cade took him through everything several more times, asking many
questions and coming at it from different angles. Braden knew he was
holding back a lot of the info, the minor details, the emotional pain and
abuse portion of the relationship, even some of the worst of the physical
abuse, but he couldn’t help it. He had to keep some of that in or he’d fall
apart. He didn’t really feel it was all that necessary to tell Cade every single
detail, because he wanted Cade to know that Eric wasn’t really a suspect, as
much as he seemed like the perfect one.
Braden leaned his weight on the counter. “Look, Zavier, I know that
you think he’s a great suspect for being the stalker, but I need you to know
that it’s extremely unlikely that it’s him.”
Cade tilted his head, his expression quizzical. “Why do you think
that?”
Braden shrugged. “Besides the fact that all of the notes talk as if I’ve
never actually even met the guy? Because, I kind of have an insurance
policy.”
Cade drew his head back and his brows furrowed. “What the fuck
does that mean, Braden?”
Braden broke eye contract and stared at his hands. “I knew that when
I told him I wanted to leave him, that he’d beat the shit out of me, so I….”
“You what?” Cade spit out as he stood up, planted his hands on the
countertop and leaned towards Braden, anger etched across his features.
Braden bit his lip and crossed his hands over his chest. “I, uh,
videotaped it.”
Cade’s hands fisted on the countertop, knuckles going white. “You
knew he’d beat you, and yet you stayed and told him face to face you were
leaving him, so you could videotape it?”
Braden had never seen Cade angry. He took a small step away from
him. He could practically see the anger pulsing off of him in waves. He
didn’t think Cade would ever hurt him, in fact, he knew he wouldn’t, so he
took a deep breath and answered him. “Yes. I knew if I ran, he’d find me,
and I’d have to keep running. I wasn’t going to do that. My life is here and
fuck if he was gonna run me off. I knew I’d need something to bring him
down, so I taped it and sent him a copy and told him there were more where
that came from and if he ever came near me again, I’d bring up charges
against him and he’d lose not only his job but his reputation in the
community. His job and reputation mean everything to him. When it comes
down to it, he ties his self-worth and his identity directly to his job as a
CEO. So, now you know why it can’t be him.”
Cade stared at Braden for several long minutes trying to get himself
under control. All he could do was picture the danger that Braden had been
in. He had a feeling that Braden wasn’t telling him all of the details and he
was positive that the details he wasn’t sharing were the worst of all. He took
several deep breaths to calm his heart rate and knew, from the wary
expression on Braden’s face, that he’d failed at hiding his feelings from
him. He’d always excelled at masking his emotions. However, he hadn’t
ever needed to use those skills with someone he had feelings for.
The last thing Braden needed was someone with a temper exploding
anywhere near him. He knew that before he allowed himself to work off the
anger, he wanted to be far away from Braden. When he thought he could
talk, he raised his phone, and dialed Cooper’s number. “Get ready to run.
We’ll be over at Braden’s in ten minutes.”
Cade looked at Braden when he hung up the phone. “Cooper will be
ready to run with you when you can get your kitchen shut down for the
night. Do you need help?”
Braden was a little taken aback by Cade’s demeanor. He didn’t know
what he expected, but the seething anger that morphed into this sudden wall
of eerie calm, was very unsettling. “No. I’ll be done in a few minutes.”
“I’ll be just on the other side of the door when you come out.”
Braden watched as Cade left the kitchen with quiet measured steps
and went out the back door. Braden worked fast at getting everything
cleaned up and put away. He called up to the front and told Maya he was
leaving to take a run and that he’d talk to her later. He walked out the back
door and found Cade there, arms crossed over his chest as he waited calmly.
Braden’s brows drew together. “Cooper is going to run with me?”
“You said you’d need to run for a long time tonight, so he’s going to
take the first leg and call me when he’s got only a few miles left in him, so I
can meet you and handle the final leg.”
They walked together across the street to Braden’s house. He was
watching Cade who was in turn watching the street around them, keeping
his eyes attentive for anything that might cause Braden harm. It was
humbling in a way, seeing what type of diligence it took to always be on
guard for someone else. Knowing that Cade was pissed off, despite his
ability to mask that anger and remain so laser focused on protecting him,
made him respect Cade all the more.
Funny, his own frustration and embarrassment had dissipated with the
knowledge that something he’d said had set Cade off. Sure, Cade had
covered up his reaction very quickly, using his calm façade to gloss over his
response, but Braden knew deep down that the anger festered.
They reached Braden’s door where Cooper stood in his running gear,
waiting patiently. He smiled at Braden and then looked at Cade, and the
smile he’d had on a second before was wiped away. That same sort of calm
that came over Cade slid over Cooper’s features. What the fuck was with
these guys? He could only assume the military had taught them the ability
to mask any and all emotions they may feel at any given time.
Cooper glanced at Cade again. “Vaughn’s?”
“Yeah. Call me when you need me to take over the last leg and I’ll be
there.”
He turned to Braden, making sure to make eye contact with him, even
though his eyes were devoid of emotion and their usual warmth. “Cooper
will be running the first leg with you. You’ll be safe with him. He’ll run
behind you, as you asked, not beside you. You can run as long as you need
to run, we’ll make do with the relay system, until you feel like you’re ready
to stop. I’ll see you later.”
With that, Cade was gone, and Braden was left speechless in the
hallway outside his door. He turned to Cooper, not quite knowing what to
say, so he went with the truth. “I think something I told him really, really
pissed him off. He looked angrier than I’ve ever seen anyone look, and then
he turned emotionless, and he’s been like that since.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes. “Cade’s fine, Braden, you don’t need to
worry about him. I know him well, so you can believe me when I say he’s
OK, and you’ll see him later. Now, let’s get you inside so you can change
and get ready to run.”
Braden let Cooper into his place and left him to his own devices
while he got himself another quick snack, tested his blood, and changed for
his run. He stretched as much as he could stand before he had to get the hell
outside to jog off the stress.
Six miles in, he motioned to Cooper to come up and join him. “I’m
ready to head back; I’m not going to go as far as I thought I’d need to
tonight. Do you have about three miles left in you, or do you need to call
Cade?”
Cooper wiped sweat from his brow. “We’ve been running for over six
miles; it won’t take that long to return?”
Braden shook his head. “Not going the route that I’ll take us to get
back. It’s a shortcut. Can you stick it out?”
“Yeah, I’m doing fine. It’s not that we can’t go for lengthy runs
without issues, it’s more that if we get fatigued we aren’t at our best to be
able to protect you. We won’t allow ourselves to be impaired at all while
we’re covering you.”
Braden nodded. “That makes sense. I’m glad you won’t need to call
Cade. I have a feeling he needs the time to do whatever he needs to let out
his anger. I don’t want to interrupt that.”
“You don’t need to be worried about him, Braden; if that’s the reason
you’re not going to run farther. He wouldn’t be happy knowing you were
cutting your run short because you feel he needs time to get control of
himself. In fact, he’ll be pretty damn pissed off that you aren’t taking care
of your needs, if that’s the case. For Cade, your needs come first, his are
secondary.”
Braden frowned. “But that’s ridiculous, everyone’s needs are equally
important. Also, I thought I’d need to at least 15 miles to get today out of
my mind. Strange how seeing Cade’s reaction kind of took the wind out of
my sails.”
Cooper raised a sardonic brow. “Yeah, funny how caring for someone
kind of makes you worry more about that person’s needs over yours.”
Braden expelled a breath and shook his head. “It’s not like that.”
Cooper huffed out a laugh. “It’s exactly like that, Braden. I’ve never
seen Cade act the way he does around you. This is much more than him just
protecting you, and that makes me happy for you both.”
Braden’s shock was apparent and several long moments had passed
without a comment from him, so Cooper figured he’d let his words sink in
for a bit and changed the subject. “So, Cade mentioned that you helped him
with his form. You gonna do the same for me?”
After a couple seconds of silence, Braden smirked. “Nice subject
change. You’re leaning forward too far over your feet. You need to stay
more upright. Yep, like that. It will be uncomfortable at first, but you’ll get
used to it. It will end up making your stride stronger, and in the end,
lengthen it so you can get more out of your runs. Also, when you run long
distances, you probably end up with a bit of achiness in your joints,
possibly your back, the next day. This will get rid of that for you.”
Surprise washed over Cooper’s face. Damn, he was right. He was
also correct in that jogging upright was definitely feeling uncomfortable,
but he’d continue to do it, if it was going to deal with the other issues he
sometimes got when running any length of time. They ran in
companionable silence for the remaining miles.

OceanofPDF.com
 At Vaughn’s gym, there were no aerobics classes or juice bars, no
mirrored walls or techno music. This was where people came when they
were either serious about learning from the best on MMA fighting
techniques or wanted to learn how to defend themselves. Cade and Cooper
had recovered something, or rather someone, very important to the owner,
Vaughn, an ex-MMA fighter. For that, they enjoyed free use of Vaughn’s
facilities any time they were in town and tickets to any MMA fight they
wanted to attend.
Cade entered the gym and walked straight to the security guard.
Vaughn didn’t allow weapons of any kind into the gym itself, and everyone
had to pass through the security metal detector before entering. This was a
precaution he instigated after one of the gym’s members brought a knife
into one of the rings and cut the guy he had been sparring with, after losing
the match. After that, he wasn’t taking any chances. However, for a select
few, Vaughn would personally lock up weapons and firearms in his own
office. The security guard was a new one, so Cade wasted no time with
small talk. “Vaughn.”
“Who should I say is asking, sir?”
“Cade.”
The security guard straightened, obviously having heard this name
before, most likely from his new boss. “Right away, sir.” He picked up his
phone and dialed. “Cade is here, sir, asking to see you. Yes, sir.
 “He’ll be right down, Mr. McCade.”
Cade removed his two guns and a knife and placed them on the
counter. The security guard’s eyes went wide at the weapons, but he
refrained from comment. Cade figured that was smart of him, as he didn’t
want to field any questions. Vaughn came out from the gym and his smile of
greeting fell from his face when he took in Cade’s demeanor. He glanced
down at the weapons and gathered them up into a small fireproof lock box
he stored under the counter. “Go ahead and get changed, and go out to the
heavy bags. I’ll lock these up and get changed myself, and we can go a few
rounds when you’re done on the bag.”
Cade walked into the gym and heard only the very beginning of
Vaughn’s discussion with his new guard. “No questions, no comments, as
discussed in your training. There are a select few individuals I allow to
bring weapons on the premises. I keep those weapons secure until they
leave, no questions asked. No one but those select individuals are allowed
weapons of any kind on site. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
Vaughn went into the gym carrying the lockbox. He detoured to one
of his regulars on one of the heavy bags. “Mark, I’m gonna ask you to give
this bag over to a man named Cade once he arrives. He needs it more than
you. When he comes out of the locker room, why don’t you go over to the
speed bags and work some on your footwork.”
“Sure thing, boss. What’s the dude look like?”
“Intimidating as fuck, can’t miss him.”
Cade emerged from the locker room dressed only in loose fighter
shorts. Upon approaching the heavy bags, a guy took one look at him and
moved aside to the speed bags. Cade stepped up to the bag the guy had
vacated and was finally able to let shit fly. He pounded the bag with fists,
elbows, knees and feet. Nearly an hour went by and he would have kept
going, but Vaughn intercepted the swinging bag and made eye contact,
which slowed Cade down. He bounced in place and shook out his arms and
loosened his neck and shoulders while Vaughn called over the same kid
who’d moved over to the speed bags for him earlier. “Mark, bring some
tape and gauze. Get Cade’s hands wrapped so he and I can go a few rounds,
and wipe down the bag too, please. Thanks.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re bleeding all over my bag, Cade. You’ll get wrapped before
we dance.”
Cade shrugged and set the timer on his phone so that he’d be able to
get to Braden when it was time to run. He donned his headgear and mouth
guard and let the kid wrap his hands. He was already feeling some of his
anger dissipate. A little sparring with Vaughn would probably be exactly
what he needed. He pulled out his phone and checked to make sure he
hadn’t missed calls or texts from Cooper. It looked like he was good, as
long as he got home before too long. He made his way over to one of the
boxing rings and stepped inside to bump both fists with Vaughn. He zoned
in on his sparring, which he was happy to learn was more full contact than
he thought Vaughn would give him. He took Vaughn down with a series of
front and straight kicks and backed off immediately. Vaughn hopped to his
feet with a huge grin splitting his face. “I forgot, you’re more than just a
pretty face.”
They went on for another 20 minutes, Cade keeping up with his
friend. Sometimes he’d beat Vaughn and sometimes not. They’d drawn
quite a crowd, but Cade barely noticed. He’d set his phone on the edge of
the matt, and it dinged at him, letting him know he needed to wrap things
up. Vaughn heard it too and backed off immediately. Cade gave him a two-
fingered salute, grabbed the phone and hopped over the ropes. “Thanks,
man. See you out front in 10 minutes.”
Vaughn unwrapped his hands and glanced up at the stragglers that
were left after the sparring match with Cade. Mark looked hyped. “Does he
train? He’s amazing, boss. Was that Krav Maga? Would he be willing to
train me some?”
Vaughn laughed and shook his head. “That was a mix of Krav Maga,
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai; and no, he doesn’t use his skills for evil
like us MMA junkies, fighting for money, he uses them only for good.”
Cade showered and met Vaughn up front to gather his weapons.
“Thanks, man. This is exactly what I needed today. I’m here on an extended
assignment, so I’m sure I’ll be back.”
“You’re welcome at any time. You know that. I’ve got a couple pro
bono self-defense classes a few times a week. I’d love to have you teach
any of them, if you’re free.”
“We’ll see. I might be able to help you with a few of them. I didn’t
know you offered pro bono classes.”
“Ever since you brought Mikayla back to me, I’ve been offering free
classes for women, some men, and some kids a couple nights a week. I
know you’re in the middle of an assignment, but give me a ring and we can
discuss the schedule, if you’re up to it. It would be a great help.”
“I’ll let you know. Coop will be here as well, so between the two of
us, I’m sure we can work something out.”
“Sounds like a plan. Hope today did some good. You looked like you
needed it. Take the tape off when you get home and wrap your hands again
after washing them thoroughly.”
Cade chuckled and agreed. He got into the car and let out a pent up
breath. He was feeling remarkably better, but he still had Braden to contend
with when he got home. He’d have to apologize after they were done with
the run, and talk to him about his reaction to put Braden back at ease.

Cade arrived back at Braden and Maya’s house and let himself into
the front door. He was just unlocking Braden’s door when he heard Cooper
and Braden come in the front. “What are you doing back already? I was
expecting a call to come meet you guys. Everything alright?”
Braden looked at Cade and relaxed a bit, realizing he was much more
at ease than he had been when he’d left earlier. Whatever he’d done for the
last hour and a half had done him a world of good. “Everything’s fine. I just
didn’t need to run as long as I thought I would. How are…. What the fuck?
Zavier, what the hell did you do to your hands?”
Braden rushed to Cade and grabbed his hands, pulling him through
his front door. Cooper took a look at them as well. “I’ve got my kit over at
Maya’s. You OK for a few while I go take a quick shower and then I’ll
bring it over and so you can wrap them?”
Braden huffed. “No, we need to take care of this right away.”
“Braden, look at me. I’m fine, this is nothing but heavy bag hands.”
To Cooper, “Yeah, it will take me that long to get myself free of this
fighting tape and washed up.”
Cooper left and Braden grabbed Cade’s wrist and pulled him into the
kitchen. “Here, sit.”
“Braden, I’ll take care of this myself when Coop brings his supplies,
don’t worry about it.”
“Zavier, so help me god, if you don’t sit your fine ass in that chair
right now, I’m gonna lose my shit.”
 Cade grinned at Braden and sat. “Has anyone ever told you that
you’re absolutely adorable when you’re angry?”
Braden laughed despite himself. “Shut up, you jackass. Let me fix
this. It’s my fault your hands are messed up in the first place. Don’t think I
don’t know how pissed off at me you were, despite your automaton act
earlier.”
Braden pulled another chair up, sat in front of Cade and gently held
one of his huge damaged hands in his own. He began to unravel the
bloodied tape over Cade’s fingers. Cade watched Braden closely. He didn’t
feel any pain; Braden’s touch was so light. At Braden’s concerned noise,
Cade looked down at his battered hands and tried to pull them away.
“Braden, really, I can take care of them.”
Braden’s eyes widened, his head tilted to one side. His mouth formed
a sexy pout. “Please, let me help you.”
Cade smiled and sighed. “All right.” He leaned down to put his
forehead to Braden’s. “We’re fine, you and me. I wasn’t mad at you.”
Cooper walked in and cleared his throat. “Ah, sorry guys. Want me to
come back?”
Braden moved back. “No, set that stuff right there. Zavier, wash your
hands in warm water and soap, please. Why you guys have stuff for after
the fact when you should very well be protecting your hands before you use
a big bag is beyond me.”
“Heavy bag,” both men retorted.
“Whatever the fuck. Use your heads and wrap your hands first, not
last! Imbeciles.”
Both men snickered and tried to hide it. It didn’t work. Once Cade sat
down, Cooper handed over his kit and Braden wrapped Cade’s bloodied
hands up with fresh gauze and tape after putting on some ointment. He had
a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time he had to wrap Cade’s hands. Funny,
that same thought was on Cooper’s and Cade’s minds as well.

While Braden took a shower, Cade fixed dinner. He wanted to talk to

Braden about that afternoon. He was usually much better at masking his
emotions, and the fact that Braden thought it was his fault that Cade’s hands
were messed up was making Cade more and more frustrated with himself
for how he handled the situation.
Braden came out of his bedroom in loose sweatpants and a long
sleeved t-shirt. His hair was still damp, and he was rubbing his stomach,
which let Cade know he’d just taken his insulin. Though he looked tired, he
didn’t look haunted, as Cade feared he might after their conversation earlier
in the day. Cade pulled out a chair at the head of the table and sat next to
Braden, instead of across from him. “Go ahead, dig in before it gets cold.”
Braden rested a hand on Cade’s wrist and squeezed. “Thanks for
making dinner, again. You didn’t have to do that. Are you trying to take
care of me, Zavier?”
Cade turned his wrist over and clasped Braden’s hand in his own.
“Would that be such an awful thing?”
Braden blushed. “You know I can take care of myself, right?”
Cade nodded. “Yeah. I’m positive of that. Does it feel so bad, having
me take care of your needs?”
Braden’s brows drew down. “Bad? No, it doesn’t feel bad. I just don’t
want you to feel obligated when I’m perfectly able to do for myself.”
“OK, let me ask you this, does it feel good?”
 Braden paused at that, as he wasn’t expecting the question, and he
had to really think about how it made him feel. He could honestly say it was
a foreign feeling, being taken care of. He was usually the one taking care of
his partners. Whoa, where had that come from? Cade wasn’t his partner.
Although he did take care of Braden as if he was, and that was pretty
amazing in itself, as this friendship they were forming was still quite new.
He realized all of a sudden that it did feel good, actually scratch that, it felt
great. He blushed when he realized that, and he decided to be honest. “No,
it doesn’t feel good.”
At Cade’s disappointed expression, he whispered, “It feels great.”
Cade’s mouth grew into a wickedly beautiful smile. “Yeah?”
Braden, dumbfounded by Cade’s gorgeous, smiling face could only
nod in response.
Cade let out a relieved breath. “Good. That’s what I want.”
They looked at each other for several moments. Braden swallowed
nervously, feeling shy all of a sudden, and then glanced down at his plate.
The spell was broken and Braden heard Cade clear his throat. He touched
Braden’s arm. “So, we should talk about today.”
Unable to come up with a reason to avoid it any longer, Braden
glanced up and nodded. “I’m sorry. I know I made you angry, the way I
handled Eric. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Cade leaned toward Braden, who set down his fork, and Cade took
that opportunity to take Braden’s hand in his bigger one. “I handled today
poorly. None of what happened was your fault and if I made you feel to
blame, for any of it, I can’t apologize enough. Bray, I wasn’t pissed at you
at all, I was angry that you were in that situation, that you had to go through
it. As ridiculous as it sounds, I was pissed that I couldn’t be there to protect
you. I didn’t stop to think about how my anger was affecting you. All I
knew was that I needed to get away from you, calm myself down and find
an outlet for that anger. I obviously didn’t hide my feelings from you at all,
which means that you are actually really good at reading me, when most
others aren’t. If it was anyone else that could read me like that, after only
knowing me for such a short time, I’d be pissed off and worried I’d lost my
edge. But, I want you to see the real me, even if it means I can’t ever hide
behind my calm façade with you.”
Braden caressed his thumb over the back of Cade’s hand. “I want to
see the real you as well, Zavier. I didn’t know who Eric was until it was too
late. If this friendship of ours turns into something, I have to know that I get
to see the real you from the beginning.”
“OK, I’ll do my best to be forthcoming with not only my thoughts,
but also with my emotions. This thing between us--and there is a thing
between us--makes me happy, but it also makes me feel uneasy. I’m not
used to being so transparent, this early on. I’m willing to keep doing it,
because I think in the end, it’s so worth it, to be feeling what I’m feeling for
you.”
“You’re not the only one that’s feeling uneasy. Things with us are
moving pretty fast. That the feelings we’re discussing usually occur much
later in relationships. I think part of that is because we’re in a situation
where you’re with me now 24/7, but I also think it’s because you’ve set a
precedent for us. From the beginning, you spelled out how you feel for me.
You told me, the day after I’d met you, that you were attracted to me and
wanted to get to know me. That takes a lot of courage, Zavier. So all I can
do is respect what you’re doing and make sure that I’m as open as you are
with me.”
“So I guess we’ll continue to be uneasy with the situation because we
both agree that it’s worth it, in the end.”
 Braden nodded. “I think that about sums it up.”
They continued talking over the remainder of their dinner. Cade knew
Braden was in need of some time with his closest friend, and he was happy
that Maya came over and was just as eager to see him. Cade placed a call to
Brody, their resident computer hacker, with the info that Braden had
supplied him with earlier that day. Brody was a night owl, so he asked him
to get on it right away. The sooner they had the information on these guys,
the better. He let Brody know that this was personal, so he didn’t care how
he had to get it, he just needed every single piece of information that was
out there to be found. Brody assured Cade he’d get back to him the next
day.
Just as he was ending the call, Maya came out of Braden’s room. As
she was leaving, she asked Cade to check on him in a bit and Cade assured
her he had already been planning on it.
He headed quietly into Braden’s darkened room to check on him. He
was lying on his side, facing Cade, with his eyes closed. Cade kissed
Braden’s temple gently, doing his best not to wake him. Assured that he was
comfortable and asleep, Cade turned to go, when Braden reached out and
touched his hand. Cade crouched down, brushed the hair off Braden’s face
and rested his hand at the nape of his neck. “Hey, I didn’t mean to wake
you. I just wanted to come check on you and tell you goodnight. Was it
good seeing your girl?”
Braden smiled. “You didn’t wake me. And yeah, it’s always good to
see her. Love her.”
“She loves you, too. You alright? Do you need anything?”
Braden shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”
“OK, I’ll be in the living room with Coop discussing some of what
you shared with me today. We’ll try to keep it down. If you need anything,
just let me know.” Cade stood up and was about to walk back to the living
room when Braden’s hand stopped him again.
Braden spoke in a low whisper. “Zavier?”
Cade crouched down again, placed his hand on the side of Braden’s
face and rubbed his thumb across his cheek. “Yeah, baby?”
Sudden warmth flowed through Braden at the endearment, which
made it much easier to admit what he’d been thinking. “I’m glad you came
to tell me goodnight. Thank you.”
Cade rubbed his thumb over Braden’s lower lip. His eyes fell to half-
mast when he heard Braden’s quick intake of breath at his touch. “You had
to know I’d come check on you, right?”
Braden bit that lower lip, and looked at Cade with longing. “I had
hoped.”
Cade groaned, bringing his forehead down to Braden’s temple.
“You’re killing me, baby. I promise you, until I’m in this bed with you, I’ll
come and tell you goodnight, every night. Alright?”
Braden smiled, grateful. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Cade kissed his temple again. “Good. I’ll always do my best to take
care of your needs, Braden. I’m learning what they are, and I promise you,
I’m a quick study. Now get to sleep, you’re exhausted. I’ll see you in the
morning.”
“OK, goodnight, Zavier.”
Cade watched as Braden licked his lips and just barely lifted his chin
in invitation. Cade smiled, the blood in his veins thrumming as he leaned
forward and captured Braden’s lips in a soft, languid kiss. With regret, he
stood while brushing his hand down Braden’s arm. “Night.”
By the time Cade got back to the living room, Cooper had arrived.
They stayed up well after midnight hashing out their protection detail for
Braden. Cooper would be done with the Kensington job by the end of that
day, and Cade was going to need his help, so the timing was perfect.
Cooper had jumped to the same conclusion as Cade, in thinking the
abusive ex needed very close scrutiny. However, the video insurance
Braden had was actually quite a good safety net. In the end, as a result of
that video, the most likely suspect didn’t seem as likely as it had only a day
before, which made both Cade and Cooper uncomfortable.
If it wasn’t one of Braden’s exes, the problem was going to be much
harder to figure out. It would be more difficult to find the stalker if he was a
stranger to Braden. They’d have to keep him in sight at all times and wait
for the stalker to make a mistake, which would happen eventually, but
might take more time than Cooper and Cade were comfortable with. Once
they got Brody’s report, which would be extremely thorough, as he was
worth the very high salary they were paying him, Cooper would be free to
follow up on any and all leads, while Cade watched over Braden.
In the end, both Cooper and Cade decided the best way to go about
covering Braden and making it look like he wasn’t being covered, would be
to feign a relationship between Cade and Braden. Cade knew he wouldn’t
have to be pretending much of anything, as he already felt like they were in
a relationship. He knew he’d have to show some outward affection towards
Braden, so that to outsiders, it would appear that they were a bit deeper into
a relationship than they actually were. He’d have to explain everything to
Braden in the morning, so he knew what to expect. He didn’t think there
would be an issue with it, but he wasn’t about to start making moves
physically with Braden in public without discussing things with him first.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden was just finishing making them both breakfast when Cade
walked into the kitchen. He grabbed the carafe of coffee and ran his wide
palm up Braden’s back and gently squeezed his neck before reaching above
him to grab a coffee cup from the cabinet. “Omelet smells great. Sleep
OK?”
Braden turned and smiled. “Slept great. You?”
“Yeah. Coop was here till about 12:30 or so. I checked in on you to
make sure you were asleep and then conked out pretty quick after that.”
“Everything go OK with Cooper?”
“Yeah. We decided the best way for me to protect you, without it
looking too obvious, is for us to act like we’re in a relationship.”
“Uh….”
“We think it’s best if I’m seen out in public with you holding your
hand and being affectionate. We can do it another way, if you’re adamant
that you don’t want to do that, but we think that’s the best way to go about
it, so I wanted to ask you for your thoughts.”
“Umm, am I bait?”
An incredulous look passed over Cade’s features. “Jesus, Braden, no!
You are not bait! The last thing I want is for you to be in danger, but the fact
is, you are in danger. Right now, this guy is escalating, and I need to be on
you 24/7. In order for there not to be so many questions about why I’m
protecting you and who I am, we figured a relationship would be the best
option. Look, frankly we don’t know what will set the guy off.”
 Cade stepped into Braden’s personal space, cupped the back of his
neck in his large palm, and drew them even closer. “You may think of
yourself as someone who only sleeps, runs, and works, but you’re a fixture
in this community. People know you, greet you, like you and gravitate
towards you because you’re kind and genuine. If they think you have a
protection detail, they’re gonna ask questions we may not want to answer
and people, even if you know them, will talk. At least this way, they’re
talking about a relationship, rather than some kind of trouble that they think
you found yourself in, that’s all.”
Braden sighed in relief. “OK. That makes sense. I’m sorry I asked if I
was going to be bait. I was just thinking you were trying to tip him over the
edge, so he would lash out and make mistakes. I didn’t think about the fact
that just having you near me might set him over the edge regardless of what
we do or how we act.”
Cade didn’t back up. He remained close to Braden and kissed him on
the forehead. “I don’t want to tip him over the edge so that he comes at you.
What I want is to figure out who it is and put a stop to it without any impact
to you at all. I’m sorry we have to do any of this. I won’t be doing anything
that will make you uncomfortable. Frankly, I won’t be doing anything much
different than what I do now, in the privacy of your home. I might hold your
hand and touch you, but I touch you now, I can’t help myself. I just didn’t
want you to be upset or confused when I started to do that in public.”
Braden, eyes on Cade’s chest, couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
“That’s fine.”
“Braden, will you look at me?”
Braden glanced up into Cade’s worried eyes, and Cade continued.
“It’s obviously not fine with you. You’re upset.”
“I’m not upset; I’m fine.”
 Cade slid his hands gently down Braden’s arms and clasped his
hands. “Remember yesterday, when you could read me, despite my desire
to hide my anger? I can read you as well Braden, and you are anything but
fine.”
Huffing out a resigned sigh, Braden admitted, “It’s not what you
think. It’s just that with you here, I’ve been feeling pretty secure and to be
honest, even though it seems ridiculous, I haven’t been thinking much of
the stalker. Hearing you talk about him lashing out just made reality come
and bite me in the ass. You didn’t do anything wrong and the way you are
handling everything is fine, it truly is. I guess I’m just feeling vulnerable
and scared all of a sudden, and I hate it.”
Cade pulled him into his arms and rocked him. He leaned down and
kissed Braden on his temple and whispered, “I will do everything in my
power to keep you safe and unharmed. As long as you listen to me, do as I
ask, you will be safe. Please trust that I know what I’m doing. You mean a
hell of a lot to me already, Braden. I’d protect you with my life, and if it
came to that, I wouldn’t regret a single thing.”
Braden shook his head and laid it on Cade’s chest, clutching his shirt
in his fists. “Don’t say stuff like that. I don’t want anything to happen to
you.”
Cade pushed his fingers through Braden’s hair and tilted his head up,
forcing Braden to look at him. “I know, baby. Hopefully, it won’t come to
that. But, if there’s ever a choice between me and you getting hurt, it’s
going to be me every single time. I’m very good at what I do, so you’ll just
have to trust me. Now it’s getting late, so let’s get out of here so you can
bake me something and then kick my ass for four or five miles.”
 Later that day, Jackson and Sawyer arrived and began the process of
removing all remnants of the old security system from the café and
reinstalling their own state of the art security software. Cade kept his eye on
the work being done, but mostly stayed with Braden in the kitchen. He
could tell that Braden was feeling tense, so he didn’t want to go far. Both
Jackson and Sawyer were always his first choice of installation guys for this
system as they’d had a part in creating it and knew it inside and out, so he
knew the job would be done right the first time.
They worked incredibly well as a team with little communication
with others or between themselves. The two men had grown up together
and served for years with Cooper and Cade. They had a strange bond that
no one could fully understand. They weren’t related, but it was almost like
they had their own language like siblings might have. They did not share
their past with anyone, and everyone knew not to ask questions. They were
both very good men to have in your corner.
Cade trusted them implicitly. Some of that was simply because they
were both good men and had your back, and some of it was a result of
Sawyer’s hunches, which were legendary and eerily accurate. After several
of those hunches saved the lives of those in their unit, Cade learned to never
doubt them. So, when Sawyer caught his attention and summoned him over
to talk to them, he went immediately.
Years prior, Sawyer had confided to Cade that the hunches were a lot
like what others described as someone walking on your grave, or the feeling
when you knew you were being watched. He got goose bumps and the hair
on the back of his neck stood up and then an urge to take some kind of
action would occur. Sawyer had told Cade that when he was a kid, the few
times he ignored the instinct, things ended in disaster. Now, he always
listened--and the hunches never failed him. When Cade approached he saw
Sawyer rubbing the back of his neck and he knew, without a doubt, he’d be
doing whatever Sawyer suggested.
“Cade, if you don’t mind, I think we need to go to Braden’s house
and get started on the security there. Can you get a key from him, please?”
“Do you need me with you? We can call Cooper back.”
“Jackson and I will be fine, but I think it’s important that we finish
the system here later and work on his house right now.”
“OK, let me get his keys.”
Jackson and Sawyer gathered their tools and set aside anything they
had yet to finish at the café. Cade approached Braden, caressing his fingers
over the back of Braden’s hand, he waited until he’d pulled out his buds and
cocked his head in inquiry.
“Hey, the guys want to start getting your place wired. Can I grab your
keys?”
Braden dug in his pocket, produced the keys and glanced at Cade.
Braden gave him a worried frown. “Hey, you OK?”
Cade smiled, brought his hand up to the back of Braden’s neck and
squeezed gently. He leaned forward and kissed him on the temple. “I’m
good. Keep working, I’ll be here with you.”
Braden smiled, reassured, and put his buds back in and got back to
work as Cade headed back over to his men.
“Here are his keys. Call me immediately if there are any issues. Coop
texted about an hour ago and said he’d be wrapping up the Kensington job
before the hour was up, so he should be here any minute.”
“We’ll be in touch. In the meantime, stay on him like a rash. My skin
is crawling.”
 “That goes without saying. I know I probably don’t have to ask, but
you’re both armed, correct?”
“To the teeth.” A slight grin passed over Sawyer's lips, and Cade saw
him giving Braden a very long, intense look, which made Cade clench his
jaw. “And sir, that man right there?”
Cade’s eyes glittered dangerously and he growled. “What about
him?”
“He’s meant to be yours, so take good care of him.”
Cade’s shoulders relaxed somewhat, but his tension remained as he
gritted his teeth. “I intend to. Now get outta here and call me with news.”

The call came less than five minutes later. Cade wandered slowly
down the hall towards the office, but kept Braden in his sight. He answered
tersely. “Tell me.”
“He was here, Cade. Braden’s bedroom was broken into. His window,
facing the back of the house, is busted in.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“His bedding is slashed, his room is a bit trashed, and there’s a note.
We haven’t touched anything, besides looking throughout the house to
make sure it was empty.”
“What does it say?”
“’You better be sleeping alone.’ It’s in black marker with exclamation
points. Someone very fucked up wrote that note, Cade, and he’s angry about
your presence.”
“I need you to call Vaughn. I’ll text you his number now. He should
remember you. Ask him if he can help find a good local window installer,
someone who will get a new window in that wall within the next two hours.
I don’t care what it costs. I won’t have Braden coming home to a smashed
window. I also want you to call Detective Miller, the cop we dealt with at
the beginning of all this. I’ll text you his number. Call him and get him over
there to do what he needs to do to get this on record, dust for prints,
whatever they have to do. Braden will be working for at least two more
hours, if his past schedule is anything to go by. I want new bedding and any
trace of this shit gone. Actually, in addition to the new bedding, go get him
a new bed, too. I don’t care if it wasn’t damaged, I don’t want him having to
sleep on a bed that was touched by this fucker. Whatever type of bed he has,
get the same kind but the best available. Not that he’ll feel comfortable
sleeping in there tonight, regardless, but I want it cleaned up. I’m going to
tell him, but not until you assure me that his room looks like new. Got me?”
“Yeah, consider it done. Coop just walked in. Do you want him to
come relieve you so you can come check this out?”
“I’m not leaving his side for anything. This can be handled by the
three of you. Get working on the security, so that we can sleep there tonight
knowing this won’t happen again. After you’re done there, you can come
back over and finish up tonight when the café is closed. Tomorrow you’ll
work on Maya’s place. I want every single place he spends any real amount
of time wired up with all the bells and whistles.”
“We’re on it, sir.”
Cade hung up, texted the two numbers to Sawyer and walked back
into the kitchen. Braden was completely immersed in his work but had set
out a big piece of coffee cake for him. Though he would normally never eat
at a time like this, he found he couldn’t resist, and dug in while getting
some work done. Cade kept in contact with his team over the next two
hours via text. Vaughn had apparently offered to deal with the bed and new
bedding as well. Cade would have to thank him later.
He received a file from Brody on both Nick and Owen. As he
suspected, those two were clean. If the stalker was an ex-boyfriend of
Braden’s, it was going to be the abusive one. No matter what Braden said
about the evidence he had on the guy, Cade felt like that was still their best
lead. He knew Brody would have a file on Eric as soon as it was possible,
but he was getting impatient and edgy. The break in today had crossed a
line.

Just shy of three hours later, Cade received the text that everything at
Braden’s was better than he’d left it that morning, which was a good thing,
as Braden was cleaning up the kitchen and shutting things down. Sawyer
and Jackson were still working on the security system over there, but would
be done in the next hour. When Braden took off his apron and tossed it in
the laundry bin in the break room, Cade met him back there and placed a
hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, can you sit down for a minute with me? We need to talk.”
Braden looked up at him, panic in his eyes, and Cade hated like hell
that he had to tell him everything. Once Braden sat, Cade crouched in front
of him, as close as he could get, and looked up into Braden’s eyes as he
held on to his hands. “When Sawyer and Jackson got over to your place
today to begin working on your security system, they found your stalker
had broken into your house.”
Braden gasped and then yanked his hands from Cade’s, pushed the
chair back and got up and started pacing. Cade stood, but gave him the
space he needed. Braden’s breathing got faster, more shallow, and Cade
knew he was having a panic attack. Cade crowded him and stilled him by
sifting his fingers into his hair and tilting his head up so that he had to meet
Cade’s eyes. “Braden, you need to look at me. That’s it. Take one big, deep
breath for me.”
Braden shook his head and tried to get away, his breathing labored,
but Cade held on, walked him backwards to the wall, and pushed his body
against Braden’s. “I’m here with you. You’re safe. Feel me with you, you
are not alone. Nothing is going to happen to you. Keep your eyes on mine
and take a deep breath, just one deep breath. That’s it, now another. Good,
Braden, one more.”
After several minutes of breathing and calming himself, his forehead
on Cade’s chest, Braden asked when Cade had found out about it. Cade told
him the truth and felt him stiffen up in his arms. Cade stroked his sides and
asked him if he was OK enough to hear the rest of it. Cade was proud as
hell of him when he put his arms around Cade’s waist as if he was his
lifeline, but whispered a yes. Cade explained everything, from the window
being broken to the bedding being slashed, and the room trashed, to what
the note said. He explained about the cops coming by, and the window
being fixed. He told Braden that the security system was currently being
installed and should be done soon, with cameras, and sensors on every
egress in his home. While he told him all of this, he swayed slowly and held
onto Braden tightly.
In the end, Cade needed to know how Braden wanted to handle it. “I
need you to tell me what you need. Whatever you need, you’ll get. We can
stay in a hotel tonight; a reservation has already been made. You can sleep
in your guest bedroom; I can sleep on the couch. You can sleep in your
room; it’s better than new, Braden. You have a new window, like I said, but
you’ve also got all new bedding and a new bed.”
Braden looked up, confused. “A new bed? Why? Did he destroy
more than just the bedding?”
“No, just the bedding, but I wasn’t going to have you sleeping on a
bed that bastard touched. I didn’t want you to have to do that, so I told the
guys to get you a new bed and they did. I hope I didn’t overstep.”
Braden looked up at Cade again, shocked. “Overstep? Zavier, how
could you think you overstepped? You kept this whole thing quiet all day,
until every trace of it was gone. The cops came and went, I have a new
window, and the brand new security system is getting finished as we speak.
You fixed it so that I didn’t have to feel him in my home. If you had asked
me what I’d want done if someone broke into my home, I don’t think I
would have even thought of everything you did. I can’t thank you enough.”
“I had to make you feel safe in your home, Braden. I didn’t act fast
enough. I should have had that security system in your house and the café,
the day after we met. I’m so sorry I didn’t move on it faster. He’d never
done anything like that. I didn’t think he’d escalate as fast as he did and all I
can do is apologize and work to fix my mistakes.”
“Zavier, don’t do that. Don’t take this upon yourself. I’m gonna be so
fucking pissed if you blame anything this crazy bastard does on yourself.
You aren’t to blame, do you hear me? I’m going to stay in my own home
tonight, and after I see my room, and check to see if I feel comfortable in it,
I’m hoping to sleep in my own bed tonight, thanks to you. The first thing I
thought of when you told me what happened was, ‘How the hell am I going
to be able to sleep tonight?’ But you thought of everything I might need,
and you fixed it. Like you always seem to do, you took care of me, Zavier.”
 Reaching up, Braden hooked his hand behind Cade’s head and drew
him down into a gentle kiss. He felt Cade’s hands tighten around his lower
back and draw him closer. As much as he didn’t want to, Braden pulled
away slowly and smiled shyly up at Cade, who looked a little dazed. They
looked at each other for several long moments. Braden slowly pulled out of
Cade’s arms and told him that he needed to tell Maya. Braden phoned the
front of the café and asked if Maya could leave the place to Layla for a bit.
When she was able to get away several minutes later, naturally, Maya
freaked the fuck out. After crying and hugging Braden, she started yelling,
which escalated to cussing a blue streak and threatening to cut off the
stalker’s “tiny little pecker.” When they’d finally calmed her down, she let
them know that she’d be over in about an hour after she closed the café.
Cade walked Braden across the street to his place. The front door was open
and Jackson was standing just inside, affixing the security panel beside the
door.
Cade was surprised to see Vaughn and approached him immediately
with an outstretched hand, thanking him for helping out. They had a quick
whispered conversation, which ended in Cade hugging him, stepping back,
and beckoning Braden forward. When he was next to him, Cade stayed
close to Braden, his arm around his back.
“Braden, this is Vaughn, a former MMA fighter, who now owns a
fighters’ gym called The Knockout. He helped find us someone that could
fix your window today and apparently he personally purchased your new
bed and several other things for your room and made sure it was delivered
and set up for you.”
Braden shook Vaughn’s hand and thanked him profusely, but then
smiled when he remembered, “So, it was your heavy bag that beat the hell
out of Zavier’s knuckles?”
 Vaughn laughed and thumped Cade on the shoulder. Braden felt that
thump all the way through his body and couldn’t believe that Cade didn’t
even react to the hit. Vaughn’s smile was infectious though. “Yeah, and then
I did my best to take him down with some full contact sparring and ended
up on my ass a couple times.”
Vaughn’s face grew serious, and he looked Braden in the eyes. “I
don’t know if it’s something you’d be interested in, but I wanted to mention
we have several self-defense classes at the gym. If you’re at all interested,
let me know, and we can work something out. Sometimes it just feels good
to have a little more confidence and these classes help with that. Ask Cade
about it sometime. He teaches free self-defense classes at his headquarters
and might even teach a few of mine for me while he’s here.”
Braden looked up at Cade in surprise. He’d had no idea that Cade did
that, or even that he could fight well enough to take down a former MMA
fighter and teach people how to fight in order to take care of themselves.
His respect for Cade grew and he put his arm around him and squeezed
him. “I’ll make sure to ask him about it. Thank you.”
Cade looked down at Braden and kissed his temple. “Do you think
you’re up to checking out your bedroom? I think you’ll be pleased and
hopefully feel comfortable there.”
At Braden’s nod, Vaughn, who had been watching the two of them
with interest, smiled and lead the way. “So, I had Jackson take a few
pictures of your room, to get an idea of what kind of bed you’d need. I kind
of went a bit further than they asked, and you’ve now got all new furniture
and bedding in there. We had the movers set everything up and remove all
of the old. They said they’d keep it for a few days, in case you don’t like
what I bought, or your old pieces had sentimental value. I didn’t know what
he touched in there, so I figured why not start with a clean slate?”
 Braden was speechless as he walked into his room, and even more so
after he took in the details. The pieces were similar in style to his old
pieces, but the woodwork had a bit more detail and a darker stain. Where
his old bedding had been blue, this bedding was olive green, very masculine
and luxurious. There were new window treatments to match the bedding.
All of his personal items were exactly where they’d been on his old pieces
of furniture. He opened his drawers and found them filled just as they had
been.
He couldn’t believe the amount of work these men, these relative
strangers, had put into fixing his home and making him feel secure. He sat
on the bed and could tell just by sitting there that the bed was much nicer
than the one he’d had. He took stock of how he felt, in that moment, in his
room. He felt safe, and the room was warm and welcoming. He thought he
might even be able to sleep on his new bed tonight.
He glanced up to see Cade, arms crossed over his huge chest, leaning
against his doorjamb and watching him intently. Vaughn had left the room
and given him some privacy to see how he felt being in the room that had,
just hours ago, been violated by his stalker. However, he didn’t feel like it
was the same room, and he felt such overwhelming gratitude to Cade and
his friends at that moment that the emotional dam broke, he fell back on the
bed, and raised his hands to cover his face.
Cade saw it coming and turned to shut the door quietly. He was
beside Braden on the bed almost immediately, lying down and pulling him
into his arms. “Shhhh, shhhhh, you’re OK, baby. You’re safe. I’m here. It’s
OK. I’m so sorry this happened Braden, so, so sorry.”
Cade surrounded Braden with his bigger body, enveloped him, made
him feel warm and safe and cared for. Braden wondered if he’d ever get the
chance to repay Cade; if he’d ever get the chance to be the one taking care
of Cade, rather than Cade always taking care of him. God, he sincerely
hoped so, and couldn’t wait for that day to come. Braden purged his
emotions, tight in Cade’s arms. When he calmed, he wrapped his arms
around Cade and squeezed him as hard as he could.
He pulled back and raised a hand to touch Cade’s cheek, as he looked
into his sad eyes. “Zavier, I wasn’t crying because of what happened. I’m
just overwhelmed. A week ago, I was getting these notes and feeling so
scared and alone with it. I didn’t know where to turn or what to do. In less
than a week’s time, you’ve come into my life and made me feel so many
things. Things I didn’t know I’d ever feel again, not the least of which is
safe.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. Braden ran his hand over the
back of Cade’s head, scratching his blunt nails over Cade’s short, thick hair.
He smiled when he saw the blissful look pass over Cade’s face. “You’ve
literally taken something awful that happened today, erased it like it never
occurred, and made things better. I get that it’s Jackson and Sawyer’s job to
set up my security, but they went well beyond that today. Not to mention
Vaughn. I’ve never met him before and he went shopping for me personally,
and made sure, in less than three hours, that I came home to not only a safe
place, but a warm and comfortable one, too. And you, you made it all
happen. I just can’t even begin to figure out how to thank you all properly. I
might have to make you coffee cake weekly for the next six months.”
Cade chuckled, pulled Braden’s hand from his head and kissed it.
“I’ll take that coffee cake, every week, for as long as you’ll make it for me.
We’re gonna get through this. We’re gonna find this guy and put a stop to
him. I’m going to keep you safe, Braden, and after that, you’re gonna have
a hard time getting rid of me.”
 Braden grinned and kissed Cade softly and quickly on the lips. “Is
that a promise?”
“Yeah, it’s a promise. Take a few minutes and come out when you’re
ready. I think I smell food, and if I know my guys at all, it’s pizza. So I
guess everyone’s going to eat here now. You OK with that?”
“I’m more than OK with that. Let me check my glucose levels and
I’ll be right out.”

Cade walked towards the living room as Maya headed back to

Braden’s room. She stopped him, pulled him by the neck down to her level,
kissed him on the cheek, and hugged him. He hugged her back, and
whispered, “He’s doing OK. He was upset, but mostly because it’s been
kind of an emotional rollercoaster, in the last hour. He’s checking his
glucose and is coming out in a minute.”
Maya took a shuddering breath and tightened her grip. “Thank you so
much Cade. Coop told me everything that happened today. You’re taking
such good care of my favorite person on the planet, and that means
everything to me.”
Cade rocked her back and forth, holding on just as tight. “He’s
become very important to me, Maya. I’m doing my best to take care of him
like he deserves, not only with the stalker situation, but with everything
else. Once this guy is dealt with, I want to continue to take care of him, if
he’ll let me.”
“God, Cade, I hope so.”
“Me too. Now go see your guy and make sure he’s OK. I’m sure he
could use his Maya fix.” With that, they pulled apart and Cade headed into
Braden’s living room, to sit with his friends and dive into the pizza.
“Did you save any for me?”
“We ordered enough for an army, which is fitting.” This from
Sawyer, who looked up at a noise from Jackson, who held up a salad
container and made a few gestures with his other hand, which prompted
Sawyer to continue, “Coop mentioned Braden was diabetic, so we also
ordered a couple different types of salads for him, if he doesn’t want pizza.”
Cade clapped Sawyer and then Jackson on the back and thanked
them. He looked around the room and realized that some of the most
important friends in his life were there, men he considered brothers, helping
him, helping Braden. “Guys, thank you all for your help today. It means a
lot that you dropped what you were doing to deal with this situation.
Braden’s become very important to me, and his safety is everything.
Because of you guys, he’s feeling comfortable in his home and even in his
room.”
The men merely nodded, except for Cooper, who spoke for them all.
“You’d do the same for us, Cade. In fact, you have on multiple occasions.
Everyone in this room has had their life, or the life of a loved one, saved by
you and your actions, whether as part of Custos Securities or as leader of
our unit. You’re family, and we can see how important Braden is to you, so
that makes him family too. With us, it’s as simple as that.”
Vaughn lifted his beer in salute, as did the other guys, followed by
Cade. Nothing more was spoken.
Maya came back into the room at that moment, giving Braden a
couple more minutes alone. She walked towards her brother. A man she’d
noticed earlier when she’d walked in was sitting by him. She regarded him
with wary interest, realizing he wasn’t her type at all, but unable to help
taking him in, because damn, was he sex on legs. He saw her approach and
got up immediately, offering his hand and an introduction with the gruffest,
sexiest voice she’d ever heard. “Hi, I’m Vaughn. You must be Cooper’s
sister, Maya. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Maya gave him a small smile, and shook his hand. “So, I’m assuming
when they say they’re going to Vaughn’s, that’s your gym?”
He smiled, happy that she’d heard of him, and ushered her into the
seat he’d vacated, while he responded, sitting down across from her. “The
Knockout, yeah that’s my place. I was a client of Custos Securities, which
is how I know Cooper and Cade. I had some fun shopping for Braden’s
bedroom and getting him all set up in there today.”
Tears came to her eyes as she met his intense gaze. She leaned
forward, touching his tatted forearm, so grateful for his help. “You fixed up
Braden’s room?”
“Well, I had help from the delivery guys and the others, but yeah, I
picked out everything. I hope he likes it and that he feels comfortable there.
I know what it feels like, having to completely redo a living space when it’s
been violated, so I did my best to keep his aesthetics, but wipe out anything
that might have carried the stalker’s imprint, I guess I’d call it.” He
shrugged it off, as if it were no big deal.
Maya’s hand ran down his arm to his hand and she squeezed it, and
whispered, so only he could hear, “He loves it. He’s so grateful. I’m so
grateful. Thank you so much for helping him, it means a great deal.”
They shared a meaningful look, and he held onto her hand a bit
longer than was probably appropriate, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.
He was a sucker for a girl who cared for her friends and family so much she
got weepy from a kind gesture. Their intense shared moment was broken
when her brother handed her a plate of food and a soda. She smiled back at
him shyly and then joined the conversation Cooper was having with the
others, war stories about their unit. He ate his own pizza, and while he
responded enough to the conversation to not be rude, he spent most of his
time silently regarding this beautiful girl in front of him.
Braden stood back at the end of the hall by his bedroom door and was
composing himself, getting himself psyched up to have more company than
he was used to, when the voices in the family room filtered through his own
thoughts. He stepped a bit closer, wanting to hear what the men were
saying, but kept out of sight. Cade’s men were telling war stories. Braden
could tell that the two men talking the most were Sawyer and Cooper. He
was still very curious about Jackson. The only thing that Cade had offered
as an explanation for the fact that Jackson didn’t speak much was that he
had permanent damage to his vocal cords. Not that it mattered to him, the
guy had dropped everything to come out here and help him, so in his eyes,
it didn’t matter what any of their stories were, they had his undying
gratitude. Maya and Vaughn asked a few questions, but most of the time,
Cade kept his mouth shut, or contributed by downplaying his own actions.
What he was hearing was just so far removed from his reality, he
stood there stunned. It became immediately obvious that the person he was
getting to know so well was someone altogether different when he worked.
Braden would have to do his best to get to know Cade better, in all ways.
He had a feeling that it would be difficult, as he seemed reticent to speak of
his life and his work. Braden knew he’d been standing there too long and
needed to join the party, so he started walking toward them.
He looked at everyone in his living room, and then saw everything
they’d had delivered; pizza boxes, breadstick boxes, salad containers and
more covered every flat surface. He couldn’t think of a time that he’d had
this many people over with this much food. He smiled, and decided he
really liked it. Cade scooted over and patted the seat next to his, and Braden
sat down with an exhausted sigh. Cade handed him a plate with a slice of
pepperoni on it, and offered him a beer, and Braden shook his head. “I don’t
usually drink because of the diabetes. It’s possible to drink low amounts of
alcohol, but the effects are pretty unpredictable. It can drop my blood sugar
levels for a day or two, and I could risk getting hypoglycemia, so I just
avoid it.”
Cade looked concerned. “Would you rather I didn’t drink around
you? I can take it or leave it, but if it makes you feel uncomfortable, I won’t
do it.”
Braden grasped Cade’s hand and squeezed it and looked up at him
with a grateful smile. “It doesn’t bother me at all. I promise, it’s not a big
deal to me.”
Cade relaxed and smiled in response, keeping hold of Braden’s hand,
entwining their fingers and pulling them over onto his lap. They both
managed to happily eat one handed, with plates on their laps. Braden
finished his first piece, and Cade handed him a veggie slice. Braden grinned
at Cade’s choices for him, and decided he had a knack for knowing what he
needed and wanted. He was halfway through that piece when Cade reached
over and grabbed a fork and then the salad with Italian dressing on the side
and set it in front of Braden on the table. He let go of Braden’s hand and
went to the kitchen to grab a glass of ice water and sat that next to the salad.
Cade sat back down beside Braden, stretched his legs out, and leaned
back against the sofa cushions, draping an arm around Braden’s shoulders,
playing with the ends of Braden’s hair. Braden laughed. “How do you do
that?”
“Do what?”
“Anticipate what I might want.”
“Did I get it right?”
 Braden blushed. “Well, I was wavering between taking a veggie piece
or a sausage piece.”
Cade argued, “But, you had sausage for breakfast.”
At the same exact time Braden said, “But, I had sausage for
breakfast.”
Braden burst out laughing and Cade grinned knowingly. “I’m getting
to know what you like.”
They looked at each other and grinned. Neither of them was aware
that the room had gotten quiet and everyone was watching them. They
continued to smile and chat with each other, and everyone else watched,
with smiles on their faces. Maya tugged her brother closer. “This makes me
so happy. I haven’t seen Braden smile and laugh like this in years.”
Cooper looked at both men. They were in their own little bubble. He
spoke so only the others could hear him. “Cade hasn’t been this happy in a
long time either. They’re great together, and I don’t even think they fully
realize it yet.”
The other guys nodded in agreement and everyone went back to
talking. Braden waited for a lull in the conversation. “I just wanted to thank
all of you for being here. You’ve all helped me today, and I can’t explain
how much that means to me. If you guys hadn’t done what you did, I
probably wouldn’t even be sleeping in my place tonight, let alone in my
own room, so thank you, a million times over, for your help. It’s not much,
but if you all let me know what your favorite dessert is, I’ll bake it for you.”
Vaughn spoke up, “Braden, I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say
that we were happy to do it. You’re important to Cade, and Cade is
important to each one of us, so that’s all there is to it. I’m sure the guys will
also agree that you don’t have to bake us anything for it, but I know we’d
never turn down a homemade dessert.”
 Braden smiled. “I mean it, before you leave gentlemen, there’s a
notepad on the kitchen counter. Write down your name and your favorite,
and it’s yours.”
Everyone laughed their asses off as Jackson silently got up and went
into the kitchen, wrote on the notepad, and came back, wearing a satisfied
grin. After that, they continued to eat and chat for another hour. Braden
rested against Cade. He could tell that the bigger man thought he was
asleep, and he wanted to foster that assumption, so he kept his eyes shut and
stayed motionless. The group had started telling more stories again, and
though they were not all centered around Cade, most of them were. He
supposed that it would be hard for them not to be, what with him being the
commanding officer of their unit. He was learning things about this serious
and heroic man that he didn’t think he’d learn by asking him. So he kept
quiet and still, and tried to learn all he could.
The more he heard the more shocked he was. Cade had been through
so damned much and you wouldn’t know it from looking at him. He seemed
so unaffected, but that was obviously not the case. Cade tensed several
times during the conversation and even broke in and tried to deflect the
storyline, quietly, so as to avoid waking him. His men however, were
undeterred and continued to remember some of their hardest deployments.
Braden knew they were being very careful about how much they shared. He
knew they weren’t allowed to talk about much of what they did, so they
were very vague with the details, but he was learning enough to get the gist,
and a better understanding that Cade, who was always taking care of his
needs, was always there, taking care of other’s needs, as well, even on the
battlefield.
As Braden sat, cuddled up next to Cade, he barely registered that he
wasn’t pretending any longer and was tuning in and out as exhaustion took
over. He’d been running on fumes ever since he’d learned of the break-in.
Braden woke when Cade removed his arm from behind him and began to
clean up the mess.
Braden realized that must have been a universal sign to the group that
it was time to get going, because the living room was spotless in less than
ten minutes and people were filing out the door by way of the kitchen,
which made Braden smile a mile wide. Cade kissed him on the forehead
and let the last of them out. Sawyer had a whispered conversation with
Cade at the door while Maya hugged Braden goodnight. When everyone
was gone, Cade set the new alarm system.
Braden sighed. “It’s only 8:30 p.m., so why do I feel like it’s
midnight?”
Cade approached Braden, slid his hand into his hair and hugged him
close. “Because, it’s been an emotional week, let alone the emotional
clusterfuck that was this evening. It was bound to catch up with you. Do
you want to go to bed early?”
Braden smiled and looked up into Cade’s eyes. “How about we watch
a movie?”
“That sounds great. You’ve got a TV in your room, do you want to
watch it in there, see how you feel about being in your new space?”
Braden nodded and pulled slowly out of Cade’s arms. “Yeah, I was
thinking the same thing. Why don’t we get ready for bed and meet in my
room in a few minutes?”
Cade watched as Braden walked toward his room. “Sounds good.
Tomorrow morning, I can explain your new security system.”
Braden turned back with a smirk. “OK, yeah, cause that thing looks
like it could pilot an airplane.”
 Cade chuckled, headed to the guestroom, got ready for bed and
checked his email. He’d gotten the file on Eric and would look at it later. He
wanted to spend time with Braden, ensuring that he was feeling comfortable
and safe in his bedroom. They picked out a movie and began to watch it.
They cuddled together, Cade’s arm around Braden. Less than 30 minutes
into the movie, Braden was asleep. Cade took the remotes and turned
everything off. He stayed for a while, enjoying the feeling of Braden
sleeping against him.
Cade eventually got up, moving carefully so that Braden stayed
asleep. Cade sat down on the couch in the living room, turned on his iPad,
downloaded and read the file on Eric. His teeth clenched and his muscles
bunched. His gut was telling him that they’d found their stalker.

OceanofPDF.com
 The file on Eric was long and extremely thorough, and it left Cade
feeling uneasy. Within minutes, he sent Cooper the file with a note, “Our
guy?” Apparently, Eric no longer worked as CEO for the local well-known
non-profit Homeless Youth Support Coalition (HYSC), the job that Braden
said meant everything to Eric. That did not bode well for Braden’s
insurance policy being as meaningful as it had been in the beginning. Add
to that, he’d sold his condo and cashed out a savings account, and Brody
couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere in the continental US since. It wasn’t
irrefutable proof that Eric was their guy, but it was pretty damning. Cade
knew the information would upset Braden, so he wanted to do what he
could to get more info locally before he had to break the news.
He called Cooper and asked him to make a stop at HYSC early the
next morning and ask around and try to find out what the scoop was from
the workers there. The file stated that he resigned, but upon further digging,
Brody had found several company emails hinting to the fact that he’d been
asked to leave because of a possible sexual harassment claim. Brody had
stated that there was nothing more that he could find digitally, as they’d
kept mention of it out of further emails and digital files.
Cade also asked Cooper to talk to Sawyer and Jackson about staying
and helping out with some legwork, to gather more data on Eric as fast as
possible. Apparently Vaughn had offered up his house as a place for the
guys to crash instead of continuing to stay in hotel rooms when Cooper had
spoken to him before he’d left that evening. He was going to tell Sawyer
and Jackson to head over there for the night after they were done wiring the
system. Cameras and outdoor work would wait until the next day.
Cade had been working for about two hours when he started getting
tired. On his way to bed, he checked in on Braden, who was still sound
asleep. He got ready for bed, turned out the light and was asleep in minutes.
He was woken from a dead sleep by a cry of alarm coming from
Braden’s room. He was up and armed in seconds, running down the hall.
When he got to Braden’s room, he heard Braden cry out again and realized
he was having a nightmare, not being attacked. Adrenaline pumping, Cade
set down his SIG on Braden’s dresser, took a deep calming breath and
walked towards him. Braden began thrashing around, and Cade sat beside
him and placed a hand gently on his chest and whispered that he was OK.
When Braden calmed immediately and continued to sleep, Cade got up and
went back to his room.
Less than an hour later Braden’s nightmare returned and again Cade’s
soft touch and voice calmed him and kept him sleeping. This time, instead
of heading back to his room, he got into bed with Braden so he would be
close if he had further nightmares. Braden must have sensed he was near,
because he turned over towards Cade and laid his head on his chest. Cade
hugged him closer and drifted off to sleep himself.
Cade woke around 5 a.m. and realized that Braden was still curled up
next to him, fast asleep. He thought about waking him, but decided to let
him get as much sleep as his body needed, and if they had to take an extra-
long run in the evening to make up for last night and this morning’s missed
run, they would. Cade loved how Braden felt, snuggled up next to him.
Braden fit him perfectly, like he was made for him. He pulled him a little
closer and dozed off and on for another hour.
 Around 6:30 a.m., Braden began to stir. He blinked bleary eyes,
realized his head was lying on Cade’s chest and blushed. “Hey, I must have
fallen asleep during the movie. Sorry about that.”
At that moment, he glanced towards the clock on the nightstand on
the other side of Cade and saw the gun. He sat up with wide eyes, fear
etched over his face. “What happened?”
Cade sat up as well, touched Braden lightly on the thigh to reassure
him everything was OK. He explained what had happened the night before
and Braden put a hand on Cade’s and caressed it softly. “I guess I was
affected by the break in more than I thought I was. It’s weird, because I
didn’t even see any of it, you guys had it cleaned up so fast.”
“You didn’t see it, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t affected.
Having someone break into your home is such a violation that I think I
would have been more surprised had you not reacted in some way.”
Braden lifted Cade’s hand, turned it over, and kissed his palm. He
turned it back over and looked at it, all the while feeling Cade’s intense
watchful gaze. He kept looking at Cade’s hand, his huge, masculine hand,
which had apparently soothed him all night, so that he could get some sleep.
It could be used as a deadly weapon, and had nicks and a scar across the
knuckles and another on the back of the palm; but was so infinitely gentle
with him. He turned it palm up again, placed his own hand against it, seeing
the difference in size.
His own hands were much smaller, with soft skin and long, narrow
fingers. His grandmother had often joked with him that he had the hands of
a pianist without a scrap of musical talent. Cade’s, on the other hand, were
extremely large. Palming a basketball would be no problem. They were
rough to the touch, callused and thick, with long fingers, a huge palm, and
blunt nails. The contrast between the two was almost funny, but Braden
loved seeing it.
He felt so safe with them touching him. He hadn’t known if he’d ever
feel comfortable with another man’s touch after Eric’s abuse. But suddenly,
he realized Cade touched him all the time, little touches here and there, just
letting him know he was close. He immediately knew that Cade had been
doing it on purpose, trying to get him used to the touches and making sure
he knew he was safe as well. His touch was never overtly sexual but always
gentle, always with Braden’s well-being in mind.
Braden blushed again, smiled and looked up at Cade. “I gotta get
ready to go to the café. I have lots to keep me busy and quite a few ‘thank
you’ desserts to get started on. Thank you for last night, for staying with me
and making sure I was able to sleep somewhat peacefully.”
He looked down at their hands again, turned Cade’s over, kissed the
back of it. Braden knew he had to get out of bed quickly, or he was going to
start kissing more than just Cade’s hand. He smiled at that thought and bit
his lip. “I like your hands, Zavier. They make me feel safe. I’m gonna jump
in the shower.”
Just like that, he was out of bed in a flash and Cade was left in a state
of yearning arousal he felt deep in his core. He’d seen the look in Braden’s
eyes as he made his escape. It was at that moment that he decided to make a
call to Maya.
She answered after one ring. “Everything OK?”
“Yes, he had a rough night, with a couple nightmares, but he seems to
be doing well. I wanted to talk to you about this Saturday. Does Braden
usually work weekends?”
“He usually comes in on both Saturday and Sunday, for several
hours, to get us through the weekend business, but he does the bulk of his
weekend baking, and subsequent freezing, on Friday, so that his hours on
the weekend don’t have to be too long.”
“Would you be OK without him, at least on Saturday?”
“I’ll make sure that we are. What’s up?”
“I just think he needs a day off, a day to do some fun things and not
worry about all this stalker bullshit. I want to spend some time with him,
take him out.”
“That sounds really great, Cade. I’ll tell him we got a special order
for mixed pastries for Friday night pick up. That way, we’ll be OK, both
Saturday and Sunday. He could use the time, never takes any for himself,
and refuses to get someone to help him in the kitchen.”
If Cade had anything to do with it, that would change. They said their
goodbyes, and Cade went to his room to take a quick shower and change,
then on to the kitchen to cook some breakfast. Braden came out of his
bedroom, ready for the day, and sat down with Cade to eat. When they were
both ready to leave, Cade grabbed his iPad and iPhone and went to the front
door, where he explained the security system to Braden, and how it could be
managed from their secure website. Cade sounded really excited about the
security system, which made Braden grin. He tried to cover up his
amusement. “Just tell me how to turn the thing on and off; all the other bells
and whistles will have to come later.”
Cade chuckled and asked for Braden’s hand. He helped Braden place
his thumb and ring finger to the screen when it prompted them, and Cade
finished the rest of the set up so the system could only be turned off and on
by either his finger and thumbprint or Braden’s. He walked Braden through
the short process of turning the system on and off, and they left the row-
house together. Cade held Braden’s hand in his bigger one and walked them
across the street to the café’s back door, where Cade noticed a camera was
already installed. He locked the back door behind them.
He glanced around and noticed the cameras and sensors in the
kitchen. He was happy to see sensors and cameras in the office and the
break room as well. He got Braden’s promise not to leave the kitchen, and
went up front to look for Sawyer and Jackson. He caught Layla making
some coffee. “Hey beautiful, mind if I have a cup?”
Blushing and stammering just a little, she was finally able to pour
him one. Murmuring his thanks, he took his cup of black coffee and walked
towards Sawyer and Jackson and then smiled when he saw Jackson being
hit on by a very flirtatious Zoe, on her way to unlock the cafe doors.
“Hey Boop, you giving my guys a hard time?”
She flashed a megawatt smile at him over her shoulder. “Well,
according to Maya, you’re off the market, so I decided to try my hand at
this tall, dark and handsome fella. I just love the strong, silent type.”
Cade shook his head and chuckled; if she only knew. She sauntered
forward, unlocked the front doors, and winked suggestively at Jackson.
Cade grinned when he saw the slight blush on Jackson’s bearded face. To
give his friend credit, he merely gave her a crooked half smile and kept
working. His men packed up their tools. Jackson tapped the security
monitor screen with a few commands, and it went dark. Cade went behind
the counter and got the attention of Zoe and Layla.
Once the ladies were both standing in front of him, he spoke softly to
them both. “I’m sure Maya has made you both aware of why we are all
here, and some of what is going on with Braden. Did Sawyer or Jackson
explain the security alarms we placed back here for you to use in case
anyone tries to get to the back from up here or anything else happens?”
 When both of the ladies verified that they had gotten directions on
how to sound the alarms, Cade let them get back to work and walked into
the back after Sawyer and Jackson. In the kitchen, Cade told the men to
contact Cooper for next steps, as he might want them to start on Maya’s
system, or he might have some more info to go on after his appointment this
morning.
Both Sawyer and Jackson were aware that Cooper was at HYSC this
morning and knew from the look on Cade’s face not to say anything about it
around Braden, even though he had his buds in, as always. Jackson went
towards the back door to run the final diagnostics on the security system.
Sawyer didn’t move to help, however, but instead looked at Cade with a
burning intensity that got his blood racing. Cade immediately turned and
walked towards the office, where Sawyer followed.
“Talk to me.”
As much as he didn’t mean it to, Sawyer’s voice sounded accusatory,
“Have you placed any of your tracers on him or added Brody’s app onto his
phone?”
Cade tilted his head, studying Sawyer with eyes that had gone glacier
in warning, and waited. It took a lot to intimidate a man like Sawyer; in
fact, Sawyer could list the number of people who could do it on one hand,
with fingers left over. One thing he’d admit to, freely, is that one of those
men was Cade, and one of the many reasons for that was the waiting. Cade
could out wait anyone, and everyone who was ever in his unit knew of the
look. He would sit in eerie silence that he somehow injected with an aura of
intimidation, the likes of which Sawyer had never seen, and wait and wait
and wait some more, until whoever he was staring at caved under the
intense scrutiny. He didn’t let Cade wait any longer, as he wasn’t about to
challenge his CO.
 “Cap, I’m not questioning your management of this job, you know
me better than that. I’ve got a feeling that the security systems will help, but
more is needed.”
More waiting.
“My skin crawls every single time I work on one of the systems
we’ve installed. We brought you two tracers.”
Even more waiting.
“Cap, use them, both of them.”
“You think I need to use both tracers?”
“Yes, sir, and install Brody’s app on his phone. Tell Braden about one
of them.”
“You want me to use two of my tracers and the app and tell Braden
about only one of them? Do you have any idea what this man has come to
mean to me and what lying to him could do to our relationship?”
Sawyer didn’t like the warning tone in Cade’s voice, so he assured
him, “Yes, cap, I know what he means to you, which is why I’m pushing on
this in the first place. From my body’s reaction to working on the systems,
and to having this conversation, it’s the best advice I can give at this point,
sir.”
Cade released a pent up breath. He knew that Sawyer was doing his
best to look out for Braden. “Fuck’s sake, Sawyer, stop calling me cap and
sir.”
Sawyer exhaled in relief at the irritated, yet much calmer tone of
voice from Cade. “I’m usually pretty successful at doing so, captain, but not
when you use the look. When you use the look, sir, it’s nearly impossible
not to call you by the rank you earned.”
Aware that his unit had always talked about the look, Cade jerked his
head towards the door and muttered, “Get outta here before I toss you out.”
 Sawyer didn’t need him to say it twice. He walked out to the kitchen,
found that Jackson was done with the diagnostic run, and they both left to
contact Cooper for further instructions. Cade texted Cooper and asked him
to call when he was free and had more info regarding Eric.
Cade was going to do exactly what Sawyer had asked him to do. He
would tell Braden about one tracer, but place another on him that he didn’t
know about. He’d also put the app on his phone as well. He hated,
absolutely hated, not being completely honest with Braden. He hoped like
hell that Sawyer knew what he was talking about, because he could
completely fuck up everything they had going if Braden thought he couldn’t
trust him.
Cade entered the kitchen and slid his hand up Braden’s back. Braden
pulled out one of his buds and glanced back at Cade and smiled gently.
Cade squeezed his neck. “Hey, I know you’re listening to your music, but
can I borrow your phone for a minute or two to download the security app
on it?”
Braden tugged the phone out of his back pocket, plugged in his
passcode and handed it over to Cade. There were two versions of the same
security app that Brody had created, one with a tracer attached, and one
without. He pulled up the app with the tracer and downloaded it. Cade felt a
little sick to his stomach at having to keep this from Braden. He handed
Braden his phone back and kissed him on the temple. “I’m gonna try to get
some work done in the office. Please stay in the kitchen and if you need to
go anywhere, including the front of the café, please come get me first.”
Braden smiled and nodded while plugging the jack back in and
turning the music back on. Cade walked to the office and called Brody, who
answered on the first ring. “Hey Cade, I got a tracer that was just activated
from Braden’s phone. I’m assuming you downloaded that for him? Does he
know about it?”
“Yeah, it was me, and no he doesn’t.”
“OK, well, I’ve traced him and as you already probably know, he’s
standing in his own kitchen at the café just down the hall from your own
tracer. I checked the other tracers I sent up with Sawyer this morning, and
they all seem to be at Maya’s.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if we’d need them, but Sawyer’s sixth sense was
making his skin crawl, so later today I’ll be putting those on him.”
“OK, I’ll text you when I see them moving just to verify they’re all
active and on him.”
“Thanks. Cooper is at the non-profit today, trying to get more info on
Eric. I need you to continue trying to find him, Brody, and if you need help
with anything, call in Landon. Actually, let me call him to see if he’d be
interested in helping us out with this in between his PT appointments and
doctor’s visits. I’ve been meaning to offer him a full time position with us,
as I know we often ask more of you than you have time for, and I think it
would be good for you to have some help. I need to know if he’s someone
you can work closely with, though. You have any issues with him that I
need to know about?”
“Nah, Cade. Landon was a huge help with the Meyer’s case. He
mentioned his interest in learning some stuff from me as well, so the more I
train him the better off we’ll be in order to take on more cases. We seem to
be at max these days, so if we’re going to continue to grow, it’s important to
have more people behind a computer than me and my gofers. Your current
case is my number one priority. I haven’t found any further trace of Eric
since I sent you the file, but I’ll keep looking. I’m running facial
recognition software and hacking into a lot of digital camera feeds around
the city. This could take days, as more and more camera signals are coming
up that I can check against. I hope something’ll pop. When it does, you’ll
be the first to know.”
After talking to Brody, Cade checked the camera feeds in the kitchen
and saw Braden pulling something out of the ovens. He pulled up Landon’s
contact info and file on his iPad and called. Landon was going to be a great
asset to them. He was from another unit under the same Special Forces
command as his unit had been. Landon was a computer whiz, a lot like
Brody, but with less hacking under his belt.
Landon lost his leg, just under his knee socket, while in Afghanistan
and was still dealing with a lot of doctors’ visits and physical therapy, not to
mention getting fitted for a new prosthetic. However, before someone else
snapped him up, Cade needed to be sure to extend him a formal offer. He let
him know that they’d like to work with him on a part time basis around his
PT and doctor’s visits, but that as soon as he felt ready to work full time,
they would be extending him an offer. He also asked if he’d need health
insurance or if he was still being covered by Uncle Sam, which it turned out
he was.
Landon seemed pretty damned happy with the news and said he’d be
in touch with Brody to help on this case and get back to Cade about his full
time availability as soon as possible. Cade felt much better after talking to
Landon, and hearing how pleased he was to get started with them again. He
double checked the camera feeds and when he saw everything was good, he
got online to review the file on Eric. He read and reread the file, over and
over, to learn all he could about Braden’s ex.
He spent some time checking his email and responded directly to
requests for new security detail. A number of requests had slipped through
to him, rather than being rerouted to Micah, so he spent the time to
personally respond to each request, copying Micah, who he knew would
take it from there. He wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything else,
until everything with Braden’s stalker was cleaned up, and he knew that
Micah would disperse the jobs to the proper guardians. After responding to
those few communications, he put them out of his mind.
Glancing at the clock he was surprised to learn that it was close to
noon, and he’d been working for hours. Anxious to check on Braden, he
walked towards the kitchen to find him exactly where he’d left him earlier.
He drew up beside Braden, who smiled his way, while he stretched his
neck. Cade began to massage his shoulders and asked him what he’d like
for lunch.
He saw Layla head to the break room and called her over while he
kept massaging Braden’s shoulders. He smiled flirtatiously at her and asked
if she’d be willing to pick lunch up for everyone if he called it in. She
blushed, but agreed, and he called the deli and ordered lunch for everyone.
He handed her enough cash to get their sandwiches and for her to pick up
some drinks for everyone as well. When he finished that, he went back to
Braden and continued his massage.
“I can’t figure out why she can barely speak around you, why she
blushes and stammers. I mean, yeah, you’re gorgeous as hell, not to
mention gigantic, but I’d figure she’d be over it by now.”
“Well, considering that the first time she saw me and Cooper she
looked at us both and said, ‘threesome,’ I figure she’ll be blushing for a
long time.”
“She said what? You’re shitting me!”
“No shitting involved.”
“Well, hell, now it makes so much sense. Little LaLa, having dirty
thoughts; I think I just might like the girl after all.”
 “The only person I want having dirty thoughts about me is you.”
“Oh, I’ve had several, but I can’t say any of them had anything to do
with a threesome.”
“Fuck, they better not. Just me and you Bray, got it?”
Surprised by such a forceful and serious response, Braden looked up
at Cade and saw the look of desire and possessiveness and couldn’t help his
own blush from suffusing his skin. He nodded and leaned into Cade’s
answering caress over his head.
After lunch Cade went back to the office to check his phone, shutting
the door behind him. He’d missed a call from Cooper so he gave him a call
back, being sure to wake up the monitor to see live footage of Braden while
he talked. Cooper was over at Maya’s, and said he had just been on his way
over to talk with him, but since he called, he’d stay there and continue
working. He warned Cade that he wasn’t going to like what he had to say
and proceeded to tell Cade what he’d gleaned from his visit. Cade watched
while Maya came from the front, chatted with Braden for a couple minutes,
and then headed out the back door. Cooper kept talking, and the more he
did, the more pissed off Cade got.
He watched, confused when Maya came back in, not a minute later
and stood by the back door, staring at Braden, who went to her immediately.
Both of them looked tense and Cade was on his feet just before hearing
Braden call his name. He ran out to the kitchen, took one look at Maya’s
pale, frightened face, told Cooper to get his ass over to the café, and hung
up his phone.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know, she just shook her head and said your name, so I
called you. She left to get a change of clothes because she spilled coffee on
herself. She came back a minute later, looking like this.”
 Cade approached them, saw that Braden was holding both of her
hands, figured that was good, and ran his own hand over her blond curls.
“Sweetheart, can you talk to us?”
Just then the back door slammed open, causing Braden and Maya to
jump. Cooper came in looking pissed off, holding his phone to his ear, into
which he muttered, “Take care of it,” and hung up the phone. He folded
Maya in his arms. “You found it. Did you touch anything?”
Maya shook her head. “I know better than that, Coop.”
Braden tensed and Cade put his hand on the back of Braden’s neck,
settling him. Maya looked at Braden, who made a sound in the back of his
throat, but managed, “Tell me. I can handle it, you guys, just tell me.”
Cooper answered, looking directly at Braden, “Your car is the black
Ford Edge, parked across the street, right?”
Braden’s shoulders slumped and he nodded. “Yeah, what did he do?”
“Slashed all the tires, keyed it, and left a note under your windshield
wiper. Jackson went to get some gloves out of the van, and Sawyer’s calling
Detective Miller. We’ll deal with this.”
Cade’s hand tightened on Braden’s neck when he turned towards
Cade. He was holding it together and for the most part, looked more pissed
off than anything. Cade had to tell him about Eric now. He didn’t want to
wait much longer.
“You OK to leave for the day? I need to talk to you about some
information we’ve found.”
“Maya’s got a big order needed for tomorrow evening pick up. I’m
backed up and need to get at least a couple more hours of work done. Do I
need to deal with Detective Miller?”
“No, Sawyer and Jackson will deal with Miller. How about you get
whatever work done you need to get done, we’ll head over to your house
after you’re done, we’ll talk, then we’ll take that run, OK?”
“Is it bad, what you’ve found?”
“It’s not good, but we’ll deal with it, Braden. Get what you need to
get done here, take the time you need, then we’ll talk.”
Braden looked up at him, suddenly exhausted with all of the shit
going on. He leaned his forehead on Cade’s chest, took a deep breath, and
looked back up at him, nodding. “OK, yeah. I need to make a few more
batches of scones and muffins, and then finish the pain au chocolat and
make some sea salt and caramel brownies. Three hours, probably.”
“Take whatever time you need. Coop, stay here for a minute, let me
go talk to Jackson and Sawyer.”
Maya settled in next to Braden and they talked quietly together, while
Braden continued to work. Cooper stood next to the back door and took a
call, while Cade stepped outside. He walked over to Braden’s car and asked
Jackson to see the note that was left there. Sawyer seemed to be on the
phone with Braden’s insurance company dealing with the claim and
promising to provide the police case number when it was available. Cade
realized not only were the tires slashed, but the knife was left in the front
tire, which is probably what had been used to leave slashes in the paint all
over the front and sides of the car. The note was clear. “You don’t want to
make me angry, Braden, who the FUCK is he?”
Cade wanted to hit something and had to pace for several minutes,
taking deep breaths, to calm down. He didn’t want to upset Braden any
more than he already was. Sawyer glanced over at him as he got off the
phone. “Detective Miller should be here any minute and the insurance
company is sending out a tow truck to haul it into a body shop within the
next hour or so. Will Braden be working for a while, or will he have to see
this shit?”
 “He needs to work for at least a few more hours, so get this thing
outta here before that time is up. Thanks for handling this. I need you to
stay here for as long as Cooper and I can make use of you. Is that going to
be an issue?”
Both men told him it wouldn’t be a problem. “Good, I’ll make sure
you’re comped some lengthy time off after this. I don’t want Braden
brought into this mess with his car. Get it fixed and back to him, and if you
have to tell the insurance company that you are Braden to get it dealt with,
do so. And, while you’re getting his car repainted and new tires put on, get
him the best car security system out there. Let me know the outcome of
your conversation with Miller.”
Cade asked them where the tracers were, and detoured over to
Maya’s, grabbed her a shirt and the tracers, and then walked back over to
the café. When he walked back in the door, Cooper went back out. He
handed the shirt to Maya and received a hug and kiss on the cheek for the
effort as she went off to change. He took the stool she had been sitting on,
by Braden, and watched him until he was done mixing some batter. When
he finished, he turned towards Cade, leaned his hip on the counter and
crossed his arms, putting up a defensive wall. Cade leaned forward, grabbed
Braden’s waist and pulled him between his legs, putting both hands on
Braden’s hips and looking him in the eye.
“You doing OK?”
Braden shook his head and Cade nodded. “OK, that was a dumbass
question. Are you hanging in?”
Braden released his crossed arms and rubbed his face in frustration
but muttered an affirmative.
Cade took out one of the tracers and showed it to Braden. “This is
what we call a tracer. I created it with one of my guys. Each of us, the core
team anyway, has a similar one embedded in our skin. Should anything
happen to one of us, we will always be able to be found. I think it’s very
important that you wear this. I don’t think it will be needed, but better safe
than sorry. If you are OK with being traced, I’m going to place it on the
inside of the ring you always wear on your right hand. You won’t feel it and
it’s waterproof. Are you OK with a couple tracers being on you? I don’t
want to take any chances with your safety, Braden.”
Braden looked at the tracer and could barely believe it was anything
more than a little black sticker. At this point, he’d deal with anything that
kept him a modicum safer, so he nodded his head and removed his ring,
handing it to Cade to affix the tracer.
After Cade handed back his ring, he thought again about his car.
Then, as if in afterthought, Braden looked up. “I need to call my insurance
company. Fuck, I didn’t even think about the house break in. I need to call
about both.”
“It’s being handled, Braden.”
“What do you mean it’s being handled? I’m the one who needs to
call.”
“And you have, so don’t worry about it.”
Braden’s eyebrows rose, and those arms crossed again. “So, someone
called, pretending to be me? Are you managing me? Because, I’ll tell you
what’s gonna send me over the fucking edge right now, is you trying to
control me and tell me what the fuck to do. You don’t own me, Zavier!
Nobody fucking owns me. Got it? I was with someone who thought they
owned me, and I got the fuck out, so don’t think you can come in and take
his place, you hear me? Never again, Zavier!”
Cade remained sitting and held Braden’s hips in his strong hands,
calm as you please. “You done?”
 Braden’s eyes narrowed, but he admitted, “Yeah.”
Cade raised a brow. “Feel better?”
One side of Braden’s mouth quirked up, despite his best efforts.
“Yeah.”
Cade smirked. “Good, because I have a few things to say. First, if
anyone owns anyone, at this point, it’s you who owns me, Braden. Second,
I’m not trying to manage you or tell you what to do. Do you want to spend
at least an hour of your day today answering questions from your insurance
company? Is that how you want to spend your day?”
“No, of course not! Nobody wants to spend their day doing that, but
life is full of shit we don’t wanna do.”
“You’ve got enough on your plate right now and if getting someone
to deal with your insurance company because of this clown’s bullshit is
going to help you, then I’m damned well going to do it! I haven’t found this
guy; I haven’t been able to keep these fucking things from happening to
you, which fucking kills me! So you’re gonna have to deal with my need to
fix things. If I see a problem that I can tell you wouldn’t want to have to
deal with, I’m going take care of it. That doesn’t mean I’m trying to tell you
what to do, it just means I’m trying my fucking best to keep you from
stressing on the stuff that I can easily manage. You had several hours of
work to do, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t have to focus on anything
else except getting through your workday.”
Braden drew in a deep calming breath and let it out in a whoosh and
nodded. He leaned forward, laying his forehead against Cade’s, and closed
his eyes. “I’m sorry for being such an asshat. I’m stressing about him and
taking it out on you.”
Cade stood up, pulled Braden tight against him and held him there,
causing Braden to inhale sharply. Using his other hand, Cade clasped the
back of Braden’s neck to hold him in place, while he leaned down to
whisper in Braden’s ear, sending a shiver up his spine. “Next time you want
to take out your stress on me, Braden, next time you yell at me like that,
keep in mind the consequences.”
Braden swallowed audibly. Why was he hot all of a sudden? His
voice shook. “Consequences?”
Cade continued to whisper menacingly, his lips brushing Braden’s
ear, making him tremble and break out in goose bumps all over his body.
Still holding Braden tightly in place, Cade growled. “Consequences, baby.
You putting your foot down, taking out your stress on me, raising that voice
of yours? The next time you do that, Braden, I’m gonna have you naked
and under me so fast your head will spin.”
Cade nudged Braden with his hard on and growled again. “You feel
that? You feel what you’re doing to me? You, talking to me like that,
standing up for yourself, apparently that turns me the fuck on. My mouth is
watering; I want to taste you so bad. So keep that in mind for next time.”
Cade abruptly let go of Braden. He was so tightly wound, so
completely turned on, that he knew if he didn’t get away from his boy, he’d
either make good on his promises, or come in his own pants like a horny
teenager.
Braden, wide eyed, heart beating up a storm, watched Cade walk out
of the kitchen. What. The. Ever. Loving. Fuck. Was that? He looked down
at his own cock, which was hard as a rock, and managed a laugh, while
shaking his head in disbelief and adjusting himself in his pants. He got back
to work, thinking to himself that he might just have to make a habit of
sticking up for himself and raising his voice. He’d never been so turned on
by the thought of consequences in his life.
OceanofPDF.com
 It actually took Braden more than three hours to finish for the day.
They went over to his place and sat on the couch together. Cade made sure
to sit close to Braden in order to touch him and do his best to keep him
calm. They faced each other on the couch, their knees touching and Cade
reached out to hold Braden’s hand gently in his. Braden let out a shaky
breath. “Before you start, can you tell me what the note on the car said
today?”
“I don’t think…”
“Please don’t keep things from me.”
Cade sighed. “OK, you’re right, I just don’t want it to touch you. It
pisses me off.”
“You’re keeping an amazing amount of it from touching me, Zavier,
and I’m glad, but I need to know what he’s saying.”
“He said, ‘You don’t want to make me angry, Braden. Who the
FUCK is he?’”
Braden’s vision blurred, he sucked in a startled breath and shook his
head. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no....” He slapped a hand over his mouth to
cease the runaway chatter of denial, but his body took over and rocked back
and forth.
Cade tugged Braden over to him, practically in his lap, and held him
tight. Braden’s whole body shook violently, and he was having a hard time
catching his breath. Cade folded him over so that his head was between his
knees.
“Breathe. Take a deep breath. No, don’t sit up. You’re having a panic
attack; take a deep breath, baby. Come on, you can do it. OK, good, take
another. Another, that’s it. Just stay there until you feel like you can breathe
regularly.”
Braden stayed bent over for several minutes, his hands folded over
the back of his head. Cade rubbed his back and talked to him until his
vision cleared and he was breathing more easily. He sat up but stared
straight ahead, almost talking to himself. “It can’t be him. It can’t. I have
insurance. I have fucking evidence!”
“Braden, how do you know it’s Eric?”
“That’s what he’d always say to me. He’d text me, he’d yell at me,
he’d call me and that’s what he’d always say: you don’t want to make me
angry, Braden, be home on time; you don’t want to make me angry, Braden,
wear the clothes I bought for you; you don’t want to make me angry,
Braden, keep your mouth shut; or my personal favorite, you don’t want to
make me angry, Braden, get down on your hands and knees.”
Cade shot up out of his seat. Muttering under his breath, he paced
back and forth with his hands at his sides, clenched into fists. He did that
for several minutes until he looked and saw Braden watching him warily
and Cade, seeing that wariness, walked towards Braden and dropped down
to his knees in front of him, between his legs.
“I don’t know what to say or do for you right now. How do I fix this?
I want to punch my hand through the wall right now, I’m so angry, but I
won’t have you looking at me like I’m a loose cannon. I don’t ever want
you to look at me like you’re scared of me. Tell me what you need from me,
because I need to do something.”
 “Can you just hold me for a few minutes?”
Cade released a pent up breath and pulled Braden forward and into
his arms. Being on his knees, while Braden was sitting on the edge of the
couch put them at the perfect height and Cade drew him in so tight that
Braden could barely breathe, but took such comfort in it, he nearly broke
down. He kept himself under control and realized that not only was Cade
helping him, but he was helping Cade as well. Cade kissed him on the neck.
It wasn’t a sensual kiss, but a reassuring one. Cade massaged his scalp, and
he realized how much better he felt, just from his touch and concern.
Braden let Cade’s touch soothe him for a couple more minutes and
then pulled back. “Thank you.”
Cade got up and sat back down next to Braden. “Don’t thank me yet.
We still have a ton of shit to talk about, and none of it is gonna make you
feel any better. Just know that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. We’re
going to handle this together.”
“OK, go ahead. Let’s get this over with. I’m assuming it all comes
down to the fact that even before the car damage today, you knew it was
Eric.”
“We were pretty sure he was the one, but you confirming it from that
note pretty much took care of any questions we may have had.”
Cade proceeded to tell him about the file that was put together on
Eric. When Braden learned that he no longer worked at HYSC, he lost what
was left of the color in his face. The more Cade explained, the more Braden
pulled away. Finally, Cade couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled Braden’s
legs over his so that Braden’s back was to the arm of the couch. Cade kept
one hand over Braden’s legs to keep him in place, and used the other to
massage his scalp.
 He explained that Cooper had visited HYSC today and learned from
one of his old co-workers that Eric had been bothering one of the
employees there. That man’s best friend was the young lady who talked to
Cooper and told him about what happened one night after almost everyone
else went home. The man Eric had been bothering told his friend about
what was going on. When Eric asked him to stay after hours and work on a
project, the guy had asked his friend to stay as well, and she captured on
video Eric sexually harassing him. Eric was asked to resign or be fired the
next day, and that had been over four months ago. Cade went on to explain
that Brody was able to find a savings account that had been cashed out and
no other trace of him since.
Braden swiveled around, put his feet on the ground and hung his
head, elbows on his knees. “I know what you’re going to ask, and the
answer is no. I have no fucking clue where he could be. We would go out
with his work acquaintances occasionally, but there wasn’t anyone he was
close with. He was basically a loner and ended up turning me into one. He
had no family, or at least that’s what he always told me. One thing I know is
that he’s smart, and I think it will be very hard for you to find him. I just… I
can’t believe it’s him. I shouldn’t be surprised, but somehow I am. I
convinced myself that I outsmarted him and was free and clear. But I’ll
never be free and clear of him.”
“Yes, you will, Braden. I’ll personally make sure of it. I’m not saying
it’s going to be easy, but I’ll make sure you’re safe from him, for good. I
think, now that we know everything that we do, we need to call Detective
Miller and give him the info that we have, let him know that we know who
it is now, without a doubt. Do you want to do this before or after your run?”
“Before. I want to be able to run and then crash.”
“OK, let me get him over here.”
 Cade called Detective Miller and asked him to come right away. He
also called Cooper, letting him know what was going on. He arrived within
minutes, with Maya in tow. Maya took one look at Braden, head hanging
over hands that were now fisted and shaking, and made a noise in her
throat. Braden looked up at her, utterly defeated. He spread his hands wide
in a ‘what the fuck am I supposed to do now’ gesture, and she sat right
down on his lap and hugged him fiercely.
Her voice was muffled against his hair, but Cade could make out,
“He’ll keep you safe. It’s gonna be OK.”
At the knock on the door, Cooper let the cop in. Cade and Cooper
took over from there and informed him of what they’d been able to find and
what Braden had explained about the note received on the car today.
Detective Miller had inquiries for everyone there. He was thorough and
asked all the right questions, so Cade felt somewhat at ease knowing he was
taking things seriously. More than once, the fact that he was very close
family friends with the Chief of Police had occurred to him. He was glad
that he wasn’t going to have to utilize that particular relationship for this
situation; not yet anyway. When they were done, Braden went to the
kitchen and grabbed a snack and then went to his room to change and
stretch. Closing the door behind the cop, Cooper asked what the plan was.
“Braden’s gonna need to run. I’ll take first leg, you can take second.
If Jackson and Sawyer can help, we can be on him two deep, which would
make me much more comfortable. With Eric escalating, I have no idea what
his next move will be.”
“They’re next door finishing Maya’s system up right now, so they can
split up and run with us.”
“OK, sounds good. I’m gonna get changed and stretch. Get ready to
have your ass handed to you.”
 “Maybe he’ll take it easy on us.”
Cade shook his head. “He needs to run, so he’ll get to run for as long
as he wants to. I don’t give a fuck if he wants to Forrest Gump his ass
across the country, we cover him, are we clear?”
“Crystal, Cade. You know I’ve got him. You don’t need to worry
about him with me.”
Cade’s shoulders relaxed, some of the stress leaving him. “I know.
Thanks.”

Cade was on his second leg of five miles, a bit drained and running
behind Braden, with Jackson right beside him. Jackson looked over at him
and raised an eyebrow, looking a little tired himself, but true to form, not
saying a word. Cade’s lips twitched but he shook his head. Braden was on
mile 14, which meant, with the five miles that Sawyer and Cooper took in
the middle, Jackson and Cade were on mile nine. Braden could probably
run another ten without much of an issue, Cade knew, but he was hoping it
wouldn’t come to that. Cooper was calling, so he tugged his phone out and
answered.
“We’re four miles in, on this leg, so we’ve got another mile in us, and
then you and Sawyer can come and relieve us, wherever the next mile takes
us.”
“So, he’s going strong? I’m mapping your location and using the
route he’s been taking us on. It looks like he’s doing a big loop and will be
done at around 20 miles, if he keeps going where I think he’s going. He’s
most likely done this run before.”
 “Yeah, most likely. Keep your eye on my location and meet us in a
mile. I want to let him run for as long as he needs, so we’ll keep an eye on
your location during your next leg, and get in touch with you towards the
end, if it doesn’t look like he’s bringing you in. When you’re done mapping
out this entire run, I want you to send it to Brody.”
“Good idea. Maybe if he can check cameras on that route, he’ll be
able to see if there’s someone following that we haven’t been able to see.”
“Worth a shot. See you in a bit.”
Cade needed to think, and strangely enough, he was beginning to see
how the distance running got Braden through a lot of stress. From the set of
Braden’s shoulders and his gait, he looked like he was more relaxed now
than when they’d started. He’d hated the haunted look in Braden’s eyes
when he’d come out of his room, dressed in running gear and his phone
already strapped on his arm, buds in. The message not to talk to him was
clear, so he’d let Braden take the lead. He remained silent the entire run.
Cade knew deep down that it was a good thing that they now knew
who the stalker was. Having a target was much better than flying blind.
However, the damage it was doing Braden was hard for him to watch. The
look of horror on Braden’s face when he’d told him about what the note had
said would be forever etched in his mind.
Not running beside Braden now was killing Cade. He wanted to be
able to glance over and gauge how he was really holding up, but he knew
that Braden needed this run, this solitude, more than he needed Cade’s
presence at the moment. He’d be lying to himself if he said that didn’t sting,
just a little bit. Even so, he was proud as hell of Braden. So many people,
after news like this, would not take this situation nearly as well. Not that he
could blame those people, but he was so damned proud that Braden knew
enough about himself to know that this was the healthiest way for him to
push through this latest blow.
Cade, eyes ahead, saw their rental SUV pull up and park. Sawyer and
Cooper stepped out, ready to run. Braden gave a small nod to them as he
passed by, but otherwise didn’t stop or slow down. Cooper looked Cade in
the eye and tossed the keys to him. “We’ve got him from here. Rest up, in
case he needs more than 20 miles.”
Cade, hands on his head, walked towards the SUV with his chest
heaving in great lungfuls of air. Watching them jog away was harder than
on the first leg. He wanted to be with Braden every second while this nut
job was loose, but he knew that wasn’t feasible, especially when Braden
could run 20 miles without getting winded.
He trusted Cooper and Sawyer with his life, and obviously Braden’s
life as well, but all of a sudden it hit him, that’s exactly what he was doing
right now, trusting them with his life. How in the hell it had happened so
damned fast, he hadn’t a clue, but the men he considered his brothers were
jogging after and protecting the man that had, quite literally, become his
whole life. He had the sudden urge to run after them and let them know how
important Braden was to him. Make sure they understood that nothing was
more important than his safety, but he knew that was ridiculous, not to
mention he had a feeling that they already knew. Still, he made a move to
do just that and was stopped by an arm around his chest from behind,
holding him in place, and a voice he hardly ever heard, growl out, almost
indecipherably, “They’ve got him. Rest, now.”
Stopping in his tracks, in shock that he’d been about to take off after
them, and because he so very rarely heard Jackson talk, he looked back at
his friend and saw a wealth of understanding in his eyes. He nodded, letting
him know he wasn’t going to hightail it after them, and only then did that
arm release him. Jackson clapped him on the back, and they both resumed
walking for a few more minutes before getting into the SUV and heading
back to Braden and Maya’s place.
Cade followed Jackson to Maya’s when they returned. He asked her
what Braden would need from a food or drink standpoint after a 20 mile
run. He also grabbed Cooper’s iPad, which already showed the first 15
miles of the run. He took it back with him to Braden’s and adjusted it to
reflect where he now saw Cooper’s tracer. He showered and rested for a
while and then got on the horn to Brody, explained everything that had
happened that day and told him he would be sending him the jogging route
and timeline in a little while. Brody was on board and ready to start the new
search.
From the current location of Cooper’s tracer, he had been correct that
it appeared Braden was looping back home and that they’d arrive in just a
little while. Cade went to the kitchen and made Braden a protein shake with
fruit and yogurt and grabbed a bottle of water as well.
When Braden finally unlocked his front door after thanking Sawyer
and Cooper and walked into his place. Cade must have heard him arrive
because he came out of the kitchen with a glass and his water bottle. He
handed Braden the water, which he drank in a few big gulps and then he
stood, looking at Cade, breathing heavily, not having the energy to do
anything but stand there and recover. Cade reached for the now empty water
bottle and handed Braden the glass. Braden looked at it and then at Cade in
inquiry.
Cade smiled at him sadly. “Protein shake with berries and Greek
yogurt. Is that going to help get your levels under control or do you want
something else?”
 Braden set the glass down on the hall table and turned back to Cade
and just walked into his arms. He wrapped his arms around Cade and held
on as tight as he could. After a few seconds Cade’s arms held him just as
tightly. He bent down and whispered in Braden’s ear. “I’m so sorry, Braden.
I’d give anything for it to be someone different, for this not to be haunting
you right now. I’m going to keep you safe, baby. I swear on my life; I’ll do
anything it takes to keep you safe.”
“I know, Zavier, I know.”
“What can I do for you right now? Do you want the smoothie or
something else? Do you want to shower and rest, or I can cook us dinner?”
“Just this, right now, just this.”
They stood in Braden’s entryway, holding each other tightly, each
soaking up comfort from the other. Five minutes turned to ten, and finally
Braden pulled away, reached up and pulled Cade’s face down and kissed
him lightly on the lips. “I’m gonna take my smoothie, which is perfect, by
the way, and go take a shower. Give me 20 minutes, and I’ll be out.”
“Take your time.”
After Braden’s shower, they had a light dinner. He asked Cade if they
could avoid discussing Eric anymore that evening, and they chatted about
completely unrelated topics, Cade doing his best to avoid anything that
caused Braden anxiety. They sat on the couch for a couple hours, talking
and relaxing. Cade massaged Braden’s feet and calves; Braden in turn had
Cade sit on the floor between his legs and massaged his shoulders and head.
When it was time for bed Cade suggested he take a sleeping pill in order to
avoid nightmares and to sleep soundly. He was out like a light upon hitting
the pillow.
When Cade went in to check on Braden after he’d turned in, he
checked his bathroom and found what he was looking for: Braden’s
McCade Watch on the countertop. Hoping fervently that doing this wasn’t
going to fuck up their relationship, he put the last tracer on Braden’s watch
and thought that if it did fuck it up, at least Braden would be alive, and in
the end, that’s all that really mattered.

Friday morning Braden and Cade arrived at the café by 5:30 a.m.
Braden began his normal routine, and Cade went to the office to see what
they’d gotten back from Brody. His heart rate sped up as soon as he saw a
couple emails from Brody including attachments, one with the subject,
“Gotcha!” He opened the first email, which showed Cade a map with the
location of all of the cameras on their route that he was able to hack, and
after that a link was provided. Cade read the email under it, which said: ‘I
think we’ve got him, and I’m running the plates and everything else I can
think of throughout the city to see what pops. The link above will show you
footage from every camera I was able to get, in case you want to see
everything that I saw. I’ll send another email with the clips I found.’
The next email was the one with the “Gotcha!” subject and contained
five clips, all showing a sand colored non-descript, older model Toyota
Camry. There were multiple still shots attached as well, reflecting pictures
of the driver, but the resolution was poor. However, the fact that they had a
lead at all was fantastic. Cade headed to the kitchen and waited until Braden
noticed him and took out his buds.
“We have a lead on him, Braden. Do you have a minute to look at
some photos?”
Braden sucked in an audible breath and let it out slowly, not knowing
what to feel about anything anymore. He was running on fumes and didn’t
know how much longer he was going to be able to function before hitting a
wall.
Cade must have seen something on his face because he approached
slowly and took Braden’s hand in his and looked into his eyes. “You can do
this. I’m right here. You can handle the rest of today as well, and then you’ll
have the weekend to take some time and regroup.”
Braden shook his head and his shoulders drooped. “I’m working this
weekend. I work most weekends.”
Cade tilted his head, scrutinizing Braden. After a few seconds he
used his thumb to smooth out the stress lines between Braden’s brows. “Not
this weekend. I already talked to Maya. That’s what your special order for
pick up is tonight, just enough to get you guys through the weekend, so you
don’t have to work at all. You’re wearing yourself out with all that’s going
on. I wanted you to have some time to rest. Tomorrow I have the whole day
planned and Sunday we can do whatever you want. I swear, I’m not trying
to manage you, I just wanted…”
Braden raised his hand and laid his fingers over Cade’s lips to quiet
him. “You planned the whole day, Saturday?”
With Braden’s hand still covering his lips, all Cade could do was nod
his head.
Braden continued, “So, like, a real date?”
Cade nodded his head again and a smile like none he’d ever seen
spread slowly across Braden’s face. “Where are we going? Are you going to
tell me?”
Cade shook his head no and Braden smiled wider, if that were even
possible. “A secret surprise first date, all day Saturday?”
Cade’s eyes crinkled at the sides as he nodded again, his smile
emerging around the edges of Braden’s fingers.
 Braden’s face grew serious again. “Are you taking care of me again,
Zavier?”
Cade’s eyes lost their crinkle as he stopped smiling, his eyes intense
as he nodded slowly, unsure how Braden would react.
Braden’s face relaxed, and he regarded Cade closely as he pulled his
hand away from Cade’s mouth. “You’re very adept at knowing what I need
and when I need it. I don’t know how it is that you always seem to be right.
I figure you’ll just improve over time. Won’t you?”
Cade nodded again, even though Braden no longer covered his
mouth. Cade looked at Braden, really looked at him, and saw there what he
needed to see: acceptance. The walls Braden had built around himself were
coming down, and he was no longer fighting it. In fact, it seemed he was
welcoming it, welcoming him. It was a big step. Cade lifted Braden’s hand
to his lips and kissed the back of his hand. He tugged on it, and walked
them to the office, still holding his hand. He had Braden sit in the chair and
he stood behind him and leaned over, waking the screen so that it reflected
the best picture that Brody had been able to get from all of his footage.
Braden looked at that picture for several minutes without saying a
word. Cade showed him the footage from the cameras as well, but then
went back to the same picture.
Braden shrugged his shoulder. “It could be him. I can’t be sure. He’s
got a beard, and his hair is darker than it was when I was with him. He’s
also got the hat and sunglasses. I can’t be sure, Zavier. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I knew it was a long shot. I’ve seen pics of him from
around the time when you guys were together, so I knew it wasn’t going to
be 100 percent, but I needed to ask.”
“I guess we just go with the thought that it’s him, and try to track
down the car, right?”
 “Right. Brody is already on it, but I just thought I’d check with you
as well. He’s made a mistake, and he’ll make others. We’ll find him.”
Nodding his head, knowing they were closer now than they ever had
been, Braden got up and smiled at Cade. “Well, let me get back to it.
Apparently I’ve got a hot date on Saturday. I’ve got a lot to do to make sure
they have everything they need for the weekend. Can you have lunch
brought in again? Whatever is fine; you know what I like.”
Cade agreed but stipulated that Braden grab some ibuprofen for the
headache he had brewing. All he got in response was a wide eyed Braden,
who nodded before leaving the office. Cade grinned, amused by Braden’s
response and happy that Braden recognized that he truly was getting to
know him well. Sunday he’d make sure that Braden got the rest he needed,
and Saturday, he’d ensure that Braden had a great time and didn’t think
about work or Eric all day.
The rest of the day went off without a hitch and Braden was happy
with a short run in the evening, Cade running beside him. They ate dinner
in the living room with a movie going and relaxed the rest of the night,
talking and telling funny stories from their pasts. Braden asked Cade, just as
they were going to bed, if he’d still be able to go to his Pilates class in the
morning. Cade told him that if he wanted to go to Pilates, they would go,
but that he had several things that day planned that would be active, so if it
was a workout he wanted, he’d get one and he could sleep in. Braden
thought sleeping in was a great idea and went to sleep looking forward to
the next day.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden woke up around 8 a.m. and couldn’t believe he’d slept that
late. Cade, having some kind of internal Braden alarm, walked in with a
fresh cup of coffee and asked him to get ready so that they could go out for
breakfast. He asked Cade if they’d be gone all day and was told that they
would. He hopped in the shower after testing his blood, dosing himself,
then tucking his kit in his backpack. Per Cade’s request, he also packed two
sets of workout clothes with him. He was ready in 20 minutes and felt good
about his choice of outfit when he saw the look of desire in Cade’s eyes.
Cade saw Braden rub his eyes. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure.”
“Can you go get your glasses? I’d like for you to be able to wear
them all day, because you’re rubbing your eyes again, so they could
probably use a break. However, I have something planned that will actually
require your contacts, so can you pack them in your backpack to put on
later?”
Braden grinned and turned back around to get his glasses and his
contact stuff. He knew better than to ask what they’d be doing that would
require contacts, but he couldn’t help being excited for the day. When he
stuffed his things in the backpack, Cade ushered him out the door and went
down the steps, stopping in front of his Ford Edge, freshly painted, with
brand new, high performance tires.
He looked at Cade, eyebrows raised. “How?”
 “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s done, and upgraded with a
better security system and a few other safety measures. It won’t stop
something like that from happening completely, but it will emit two loud
horn blasts which usually sends the perp running, and it’ll signal your
phone as well. Mind if I drive?”
Braden narrowed his eyes at Cade. “Are you the type that won’t let
me drive my own car when you are with me?”
Cade admitted, “I prefer to drive, but if you really want to drive, it’s
your car, so of course it’s your choice.”
“I’m happy for you to drive. In fact, I’d prefer it.” Braden’s face
scrunched up. “But hold on, upgraded security? Is that really necessary, and
what did that put me back?”
Cade opened the passenger door and helped Braden into the car. “Yes
it’s necessary, and not a dime.”
“Zavier…”
“Braden, maybe we can chat about this later? Right now, I’d like to
get started on our date and I don’t want it to begin with you in a bad mood.
Please.”
Sighing in resignation, Braden agreed with one stipulation. “We’ll
discuss this tomorrow. Deal?”
“Deal.”
The rest of the day was like no other date Braden had ever had. Cade
was such a gentleman the whole day. He opened doors for him, including
the car door, every single time. He either held Braden’s hand, fingers
entwined, or guided him where he wanted him to go using a gentle hand on
Braden’s lower back. Braden had never been treated with such respect, had
never felt so courted. That’s what it kind of felt like, almost like Cade was
actually courting him. He felt silly for even thinking something so fanciful,
so old fashioned, but every time he caught Cade’s eyes, he realized that
Cade was doing everything he could to show Braden a good time but also to
ensure he felt safe.
He couldn’t believe everything that Cade had planned. Their
breakfast, one of the best he’d ever had, was at Hollywood Café, down on
the wharf. From there Cade took him to the House of Air, a trampoline park
in an old airplane hangar, which he apparently rented out for them, because
they were the only two people there. They bounced, flipped, and played
dodgeball until they were laughing like crazy and sweating like pigs, and
Braden realized about halfway through that this was why he needed to keep
his contacts on. When they were both exhausted and getting hungry, they
showered quickly and got ready for lunch. Braden wore his glasses, which
he was happy to notice pleased Cade to no end, because he kept sneaking
glances at them.
From there, they gorged at The Italian Homemade Company, and
Braden ate the best lasagna he’d ever eaten. They gave each other bites of
their meals. He felt cherished and cared for and it was such a wonderful
feeling, one he didn’t think he’d actually ever felt in a relationship.
“Cade, so far this day has been so wonderful. I’ve had so much fun
and felt so relaxed and at ease with you all day that I just want to thank
you.”
“You’re welcome. The day isn’t even close to being over.”
After lunch they ventured to the California Academy of Sciences,
where they checked out the planetarium and the aquarium and then on to
the earthquake simulator. After that, they stopped in at a local coffee shop
and grabbed some coffee. In addition to Cade’s own coffee, he ordered two
more cups of black coffee, several pastries and picked up some creamers
and sugars, putting everything in a carton. As they walked out of the shop,
Braden was about to ask what was going on, when Cade whispered to him,
“Can you stand where I can see you, just up a few feet by the newspaper
dispensers?”
Braden tilted his head in question, but saw the seriousness of Cade’s
face so he decided the questions could wait. He walked over to where Cade
asked him to wait, and turned back to see Cade squatting down by a couple
of homeless guys that he was ashamed to say, he hadn’t even noticed.
Braden realized that Cade kept him in his sights while he set the carton
down, shook each of their hands and handed them the coffees and the bag
of pastries and had a short conversation with them. Cade dug into one of his
cargo pants pockets, pulled out a roll of quarters, broke it, and handed both
men some of them. He also pulled out his wallet and extracted what looked
to Braden like two Walmart gift cards and handed them to the men, one of
which Braden could see was close to tears, his hand shaking as he took the
proffered gift card. He also handed the men what looked like business cards
and pointed to a number he had written on the back.
Braden watched as Cade stuffed the remainder of the quarters in his
cargo pocket, grabbed his own coffee, and made to get up. He was surprised
when both of the men got up as well, one of them struggling and receiving
help from his friend. He shook hands with them both and Braden could hear
Cade say, “Thank you both for your service.” At that point Braden felt a
few of his own tears fall as he watched both of the men salute Cade, and
Cade in turn, saluted them.
Cade headed toward Braden, who wiped his tears away just in time to
hide the fact he’d been crying. Braden turned as he approached and felt
Cade’s hand on his lower back, guiding him. Braden’s mind was spinning,
but in that whirling dervish of thoughts, one thing was clear: he’d just
tripped and fallen head over heels in love with Zavier McCade.
 Neither of them said anything at all as they climbed into Braden’s car
and drove to their next destination. Cade reached across the middle console
and clasped Braden’s hand in his. Braden squeezed Cade’s hand, pulled it to
his mouth and kissed it, before returning their hands to his lap. A little
while longer, they pulled into the parking lot of Planet Granite, and Braden
smiled over at Cade. “Our second set of workout clothes?”
Cade grinned a devilish grin, nodded his head, and grabbed their
backpacks from the back of the car. Cade went to the front counter and
asked for the manager, letting the young lady know he had an appointment.
They waited several minutes, during which time the woman handed both of
them waivers, and Cade explained, “We’re gonna rock climb, as you
probably already figured out, but in order for us to be able to do it, we have
to sign these waivers.”
As they were signing, a man approached Cade. “Zavier McCade?”
Cade shook hands with the man, who introduced himself as well.
Cade turned to Braden. “This is Braden, I’ll be giving him the training
myself, after you test me.”
Braden, a bit confused, shook hands with the manager, who then
walked to the desk and asked the young lady for a different set of forms,
which only Cade signed. He then walked them to the locker room and let
them know he’d meet them right outside of the room when they were ready.
Braden looked up at Cade, as they were going into the locker room. “What
was that about?”
“Well, if you’ve never climbed before, they make you take a
beginner’s class, but if you’re a good climber you have to test yourself out
of that beginner’s class. I called ahead of time to make an appointment with
the manager, so that I could essentially teach the beginner’s class to you,
once he tested me on their hardest climb, so that’s what we’re doing first
before we climb together.”
From there, they both changed into their workout gear and went out
to meet the manager. They walked through a maze of climbing apparatus
and ended up in front of an extremely tall wall, with multicolored small
handholds and footholds attached all the way to the top in a haphazard way.
He watched Cade suit up in what the manager told him was called belaying
gear. Cade nodded at the manager, who’d been scrutinizing his actions, and
then he was up. Braden had no other way to describe Cade’s ascent to the
top except to call him a spider monkey. He was on the ground, and then he
leaped up, grabbed onto one of those tiny bumps on the wall, and then
proceeded to climb quickly to the top. He was impressed, but then he heard
the manager mutter, “Holy shit,” under his breath, and he went from
impressed to awestruck.
Once Cade was back on the ground, the manager asked, “So Mr.
McCade, do you do this for a living?”
Cade answered evasively. “I used to do quite a bit of it, as part of my
job.
The manager nodded. “Well, you’re definitely skilled enough to teach
your friend. If you ever need a job, let me know.”
Cade laughed and nodded, telling him thanks, but turning his
attention on Braden. Cade got him situated in his own gear, gave him the
lesson he needed, and they spent several hours climbing and bouldering. It
was exhilarating to Braden, learning more about Cade, but also learning
something new and physical that he could enjoy. At the end of their time at
the gym, Braden’s fingers were tender and his legs were a little shaky. He
was happy, and knew in the morning he’d be sore, but in a good way.
 They got showered and changed again and by the time they got
outside to the car, it was getting dark. When they got to their next
destination, The Mission's Foreign Cinema Restaurant, Braden got so
excited he turned in his seat to face Cade. “I’ve wanted to come to this
place forever, I’ve just never made it here.”
“How does The Maltese Falcon and dinner in the private mezzanine
sound?”
“It sounds wonderful, Zavier. Like everything else today, just
perfect.”
They ate amazing food in a cozy private mezzanine overlooking the
covered outdoor courtyard with the movie playing on the wall across the
courtyard. Braden sat in the curve of Cade’s arm and they held hands and
whispered to each other. More than once, Braden felt Cade’s lips on his hair
and sighed in contentment, enjoying the gentle caresses.
He’d never in his life had a day like it. Even if the date was broken
up into individual dates, he could honestly say that each and every separate
event of the day was special in its own way. They’d laughed, Braden had
cried, they’d gotten sweaty and acted like kids, they’d held hands and
hugged each other, they’d whispered to each other and shared intense gazes.
He knew that Cade was doing all that he could to show that he cared for
him. He also knew that Cade was making use of what precious little free
time they had while in the midst of chaos and stress and for that and
everything else today, Braden was so grateful. Blushing at his own
thoughts, he realized that he hoped he’d be able to thank Cade properly
later that night, for everything he did and would continue to do.
 At the end of the night, they held hands up the short flight of steps to
the front of Braden and Maya’s house. Braden was reaching into his hip
pocket to draw out his keys when Cade turned Braden to face him. Cade
leaned down, looked intently into Braden’s eyes and then looked at his lips
before he leaned in and kissed him. That kiss…. Oh god, that kiss was like
none he’d ever experienced. Cade nipped lightly, pulled back a bit, looked
searchingly into Braden’s eyes again and then devoured him with his lips.
There was no other way to describe it. It was an all-consuming, sensual
onslaught that had Braden swaying in Cade’s arms, which banded tightly
around him, molding them together.
Braden moaned softly and opened his mouth to let Cade inside.
Cade’s tongue delved in slowly, as if asking permission, and his head tilted
to the side to gain better access. Cade swept his tongue in and then
retreated; he sucked lightly on Braden’s bottom lip and nipped at it with his
teeth. He changed the angle again and when Braden shyly slid his tongue
along Cade’s, he groaned loudly and yanked himself away from Braden. He
placed his forehead to Braden’s temple, whispering in his ear. “You’re
killing me, baby. Give me your keys so we can get inside.”
Breathing deeply, trying to gain some amount of composure, he dug
into his pocket again and found his keys. Cade unlocked the front door and
then proceeded to unlock Braden’s side of the house and was just ushering
Braden inside when he glanced up above Braden’s head.
Braden watched as an immediate change came over Cade. It was as if
a mask slid over Cade’s face and Braden could no longer read him. It was
the only way to describe the change in Cade’s demeanor. One minute he
was burning up in Cade’s arms and the next, it was like a bucket of ice
water was tossed on him. He continued to watch Cade for what seemed like
several minutes, but was probably only several seconds. He was a
completely different person, nothing like the man he’d been with all day,
and that chilled Braden to the bone, as he’d never seen Cade like this.
Cade finally glanced down at Braden and his demeanor changed
completely, like he was an actor who just took the stage. All of a sudden he
smiled at Braden and it was like the last eerie seconds had never happened,
though Braden knew they had and was immediately very worried that most
of the day was just an act. Jesus, the thought made him sick. Was he so
easily duped? Was Cade playing a part, acting out a scene, making Braden
into what Cade said he’d never be, bait for Eric in some kind of twisted
game he wanted to win?
All of a sudden Braden wondered, truly wondered, if that kiss along
with all of Cade’s other romantic gestures, had been for the stalker’s
benefit. He’d begun to take Cade’s behavior at face value early in the day,
when Cade started showing him a softer romantic side that he’d only seen
glimpses of prior to today. God, he was so stupid, Cade had even warned
Braden several days ago that he was going to be touching him in public, and
maybe the reasoning truly was to try to make Eric jealous so that he’d make
a move. Yet, as soon as Cade had started touching him and holding his
hand, he’d been a sucker and fallen for it all. Braden toed off his shoes by
the front door while Cade woke up the security panel display and adjusted it
to reflect their return status.
Braden turned to Cade, his voice shaky. “It’s been a long day. I’m
going to go to bed.”
Cade was bewildered and speechless. Hadn’t they just shared the best
kiss he’d ever had? After which, he’d looked outside and saw Cooper’s car
pass slowly in front of the house, and he’d literally been shocked that he’d
completely forgotten Cooper had been following them all day. In fact, he
couldn’t even remember when he’d last thought of him, much less seen
him. He berated himself for forgetting so completely that he needed to be
on guard, even though the reason Cooper and the others followed them was
so that he didn’t have to feel that way all day. He just hadn’t expected it to
seriously slip his mind.
He’d mentally shrugged it off, because he knew Cooper would talk to
him about his findings tomorrow. He’d turned to find Braden looking at him
intently, almost backing away from him with a look he couldn’t begin to
fathom on his face. He slipped in after him to see him taking his shoes off
by the door, Braden’s back facing him. He’d placed his finger and thumb
prints on the security screen and reached up to caress Braden’s shoulder, but
he’d stepped away and said he was going to bed.
“Wait, what just happened here, Braden? We just shared the best kiss
I’ve ever had in my life; after the best date I’ve ever had. I had to force
myself to stop so I could get us inside where we could feel more
comfortable and not be on display for the world to see. Did I do something
wrong?”
Braden turned around, and Cade saw tears in his eyes that nearly
killed him. “Baby, what is it? Don’t cry, talk to me.” Cade stepped quickly
into Braden’s space, placed both hands on either side of his face and
brushed away the tears that had just fallen with his thumbs. “Please come
talk to me, Braden. Let me fix it, whatever I did.”
Shaking his head, Braden pulled out of Cade’s grasp. “It’s nothing.
Forget it. I just want to go to bed.”
Cade was having none of that. He grabbed Braden’s hand in his and
tugged him to the couch. He sat down and patted his lap. “Sit down, please.
Let me talk to you, let’s figure this out. Please, don’t go to bed before we
have a chance to talk.”
 Braden met Cade’s eyes and blushed. Something he recognized as
yearning unfurled warm in his belly. “You want me to sit on your lap? You
know I’m a grown man, right?”
Cade reached out to clasp his hand and tugged. “Believe me, I know
you’re a grown man; but right now this grown man needs to feel you. I need
to be grounded by the weight of you, Braden. Something happened just
now, and I’m at a complete loss. I have no idea what I did, but I’m going to
fix it, and I need you to give me that chance. Please, sit. I need you near
me.”
Sighing in resignation and feeling rather silly, though strangely
pleased, Braden straddled Cade’s lap, but sat slumped and as far away on
Cade’s knees as he could, with his hands in his own lap, not knowing what
else to do with them. Cade apparently wasn’t having that because he slipped
his hands under Braden’s thighs, just behind his knees and pulled him closer
so that their zippers were touching and Cade, in his relaxed and very
slouched pose was actually looking up into Braden’s eyes, seemingly as
puzzled as Braden felt.
It was actually a rather strange sensation, looking down at Cade,
rather than looking up at him. For some reason it made him feel calm and a
bit more in control. He had a sneaking suspicion that Cade knew that’s how
he would feel and had done it deliberately to make him feel at ease; just one
more reason he’d lost his heart to this man, but was scared to death, now,
that he was alone in those feelings.
In a nervous gesture, Braden turned his sweaty palms over onto his
jeans and rubbed them up and down his thighs. Cade placed his hands on
top of Braden’s, stilling them and waited patiently for Braden to talk, not
pushing him in the least.
 Cade always seemed so refreshingly honest, which was what had
Braden so freaked out right now. Interestingly, Braden felt like he could do
nothing but be completely honest in return, so he took a deep breath and
talked directly to Cade’s chest. He might tell Cade the truth, but he was
having an extremely hard time looking him in the eyes.
Braden’s voice was low and tentative. “I forgot about your warning
the other day. You said you’d be touching me in public, holding hands with
me, maybe kissing me, in order to convince people that we are together. I
forgot, until you ushered us inside after that kiss.”
“Fuck, Braden, no, that’s not...” Cade cut himself off and groaned, his
anguished voice soothed something in Braden. “So you thought that was
why I’d done everything I did today?”
Braden shrugged his shoulders and nodded, determined to get
everything out in the open. “I looked up at you and it was like a mask came
down over your face, and you changed or maybe you became yourself and
today was just an act? I don’t know. I just kept watching you, and you
looked angry and then resigned, and then I don’t even know, like you had to
gather yourself again to put on your act with me. That’s when I remembered
your warning. I’m sorry, I think today confused me, made me feel things
that you aren’t feeling, and I feel so stupid now.”
“Baby, please don’t apologize. And don’t, for one fucking second,
think that you’re feeling things that I’m not. I looked outside because I saw
our rental SUV drive by, and it was then that I remembered that I’d asked
Coop and the guys to follow us all day.”
“What?!” Braden moved back on Cade’s knees again. He was
shocked and embarrassed that they’d been watched all day by Maya’s
brother, not to mention Sawyer and Jackson. Fucking hell.
 Cade shook his head. “I’d done exactly what you had done. I was so
wrapped up in you that I’d forgotten that I’d asked Coop to tail us. Don’t
you see? That’s exactly why I did it. Your safety is my number one priority.
I asked you out on a date because I needed to spend some one on one time
with you, to see you happy, and smiling and laughing. I needed to get your
mind completely off of him, not to mention off work, off running, off of
everything that puts stress on you.”
Cade rubbed his hands softly up and down Braden’s arms. “I knew
that I would never be able to focus on your safety 100 percent if I was with
you like that, so I asked Coop and the others to follow us, to protect you.
And I did warn you about the touching a couple days ago, but only so you
wouldn’t pull away, if someone was watching. That warning didn’t even
enter into my mind today; I had forgotten that I’d even given it to you.”
Braden took a deep breath and tried to get his emotions under control.
“Zavier, when I saw you looking out at the street, and your face morphed
into an expression I had never seen before, I felt like it had all been a bunch
of lies. I started feeling like bait again, like you’d done this whole day to
piss him off and I was just a worm on a hook, to catch the big fish.”
Cade’s face looked pained as he shook his head. “Baby, no. I would
never in a million years use you as bait. You mean too much to me to use
you like that, with no regard for you and your safety. Braden, look at me. I
have never treated anyone like I treat you. You need me to be the way I am
with you, and Braden, I need to be the way I am when I’m with you, but
understand, that’s only for you.”
Cade looked down at their laps and sighed. He tugged the back of
Braden’s knees toward him again, as if the few inches Braden had moved
back didn’t sit right with him. “In my work life and past military life, I’m
nothing like the person you see. Being with you, it’s separate, and it’s
wonderful and it’s what I didn’t even know I needed. What you saw wasn’t
an act; it was me switching gears. In my line of work, I have to
compartmentalize. I can’t be anything but the operator I was trained to be;
which means that I’m emotionless, self-contained, and stoic. That’s what
you saw, and I’m sorry it scared you or caused doubt.”
Cade sat up, eyes level and intense on Braden’s. He slid his hand to
Braden’s nape and gripped his hair. “And let’s go back to what you just
said. How can you even, for one fucking second, think that I’m not attracted
to you? I’m so attracted to you that I can barely function when I’m near
you.” Cade took Braden’s hand with his free one, and pressed it to his
protruding fly. “This is what you do to me, whenever I’m near you. This is
real.”
Braden’s emotions made his body tremble and his voice shaky. “Are
you sure? Oh god, please be sure. Because I’m falling for you Zavier, and if
you’re not being serious, it will kill me.”
Cade looked at Braden beseechingly, clasped his head softly in his
hands and brought their foreheads together. “Yes, I’m sure, baby. I’m
positive. I’ve already fallen for you. I can’t breathe for wanting you. I’m
sure that I want to spend the rest of tonight making love to you. Will you do
that with me? Will you allow me some measure of control over you and
your pleasure tonight? Will you let me in? Let your walls down enough to
give in to your pleasure, with me?”
Something about the way Cade asked him that; something about the
way he asked if he could take control, had him panicking, just when he
thought everything was going to be fine. He knew what it was like, being
controlled by someone. He knew that it started small and then became all
consuming. He pulled his head back, stiffened on Cade’s lap and began to
shake his head. He tried to pull away and became panicked when Cade held
him on his lap, unwilling to let him go. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t….
“Breathe, Braden. Dammit, breathe! You’re having another panic
attack, Braden. Look at me.” Cade shook Braden lightly, enough to jar him
back into the here and now. “That’s it. No, don’t struggle. I’m not hurting
you, I’d never hurt you. I want you to stay where you are. I’m going to
remove my hands from your shoulders so you aren’t feeling so trapped, but
I need for you to take a deep breath and stay where you are. Breathe with
me, Braden, deep breath in, that’s it; now out. In again, now out. Good.
Please, don’t allow him to come between us. You know damn well I would
never hurt you like that bastard hurt you. It would kill me to see you
harmed in any way, don’t you know that by now?”
Braden grimaced and looked away. “But, you want to control me.
You said it yourself. I can never let that happen again. It nearly killed me.
I’m sorry Zavier, I can’t do it. I didn’t know that’s what you wanted. I
didn’t know you wanted to exert control over me. I know how that feels and
I know I won’t ever allow myself to be in that type of relationship again.”
Cade placed his hands lightly on Braden’s thighs and drew nearer.
“You know how it feels to be controlled in what way, Braden? Tell me how
it feels. Tell me what it was like on a daily basis. I know some of what that
asshole did, physically, because you had to tell me about all of your
relationships in the past five years, but you haven’t mentioned the other
stuff until now. Sometimes the little stuff is as bad as the big stuff and can
damage you just the same.”
Cade needed Braden to explain all of it; he’d needed it for a while,
but hadn’t wanted to push. He needed him to explain how it really was
between him and Eric. He knew quite a bit from their previous discussions,
but he’d known then that Braden had been holding a lot of the story back.
He needed Braden to see how different it would be with him. What Cade
meant by control was more like responsibility, but he needed Braden’s
explanation, in order to be able to clarify what he meant, and how seriously
he took it.
When it seemed Braden wasn’t going to say anything at all, Cade
asked him, “In this moment, right now, do you trust me not to hurt you?”
“I…” Braden glanced down at his hands, which were gathered in his
lap. “Yes, I do.”
Cade gently swept his hand over Braden’s hair, holding it away from
his face. “Will you do me a favor?”
Still unable to meet Cade’s eyes, Braden took a deep breath and
nodded. “Yeah, OK.”
Cade clasped one of Braden’s hands in his, the other hand still
holding Braden’s hair back. “Will you go get ready for bed, and I’ll do the
same? I want to continue this conversation. I also want to hold you when
we do that, and I want to do it in your bed. We won’t have sex tonight.
We’re not ready for that, so please don’t stress. I just want to feel you next
to me. After we talk, if you want me to leave, I will. But if you want me to
stay, I’ll stay and hold you all night.”
Braden finally looked into Cade’s eyes and saw the raw emotion
there. He was feeling so defeated. He had been so happy just a few minutes
ago, prior to Cade talking about controlling him. Now he was exhausted all
of a sudden, but he also wanted to tell Cade everything. Seeing Cade’s
emotions reflected back at him gave him courage. He’d never felt like he
had anyone to talk about it with, except Maya, and he didn’t want her to
know about all the little things that he still felt burdened with.
Cade sat under him, patiently waiting for his response and all of a
sudden he wanted nothing more than to be in Cade’s arms, telling him
everything, unloading that burden. He nodded his head and made to get off
of Cade’s lap.
Cade stilled him when he put his big hand over Braden’s heart. “I’ll
take care of this. Always. You just have to give it to me.”
Braden’s breath hitched and his heart melted at Cade’s words and the
emotion reflected in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed Cade’s lips
softly. He pressed his forehead lightly to Cade’s and then got up to head to
his room to get ready for bed.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden tested his blood and brushed his teeth. He pulled on a pair of
pajama pants and a fresh t-shirt and was just climbing into bed when Cade
walked in wearing a tight, ribbed tank top that was so thin it was almost
see-through and a pair of loose fitting basketball shorts that highlighted the
muscled V cut abs arrowing down into his shorts. God, he was a work of
art. His muscular arms bulged under all of that gorgeous ink and Braden
discovered, seeing the outlines through the tank, that the ink made its way
across parts of his chest and abs as well. Braden was entranced and his eyes
traveled slowly up Cade’s six, oh good lord, was that an eight pack and
pierced nipples? Does it ever end?
Braden huffed out an incredulous breath. “Seriously? What is with
that body? It can’t… How can it be real? Not to mention, how can that body
be even remotely attracted to this one?”
Cade sat in front of Braden, who was even now trying to cover his
body with the blanket. Cade grabbed it and gently pulled it off of Braden.
“First of all, we dressed in front of each other a couple times today. Didn’t
you see me naked, or nearly so, when we changed or went to shower in the
locker room stalls?”
“Um no, I avoided looking at you, because I was afraid I’d get a hard
on and have to go bounce on a trampoline with a boner! I’m pretty sure that
just glancing your way when you were naked would have had me hard for
the rest of the day, and I highly doubt my body would do the same for you.”
 “Are you kidding me? Do you have no concept of how beautiful you
are? You take amazing care of your body. Every single inch of you is
covered in lean muscle. Not to mention, every single other thing about you
that’s gorgeous. I constantly want to play with your hair and touch your soft
skin, look in your gorgeous deep green eyes, and kiss those soft full lips.
Most of what you see of me is a lot of lucky genes at work.”
Braden scrunched his nose, still unable, or unwilling to believe
Cade’s words. “But, we’re complete opposites. I would assume your type to
be more like you, closer to your size or something. I’m just so much smaller
than you that it’s almost embarrassing. I’m not strong and tough, like you
and your friends.”
Cade shook his head and sighed in frustration. “Don’t, Braden. Don’t
belittle yourself. First of all, you’re stronger than some men I served with, I
can promise you that. Don’t ever be embarrassed of your body around me. I
can’t wait to learn every inch of you. I never even knew I had a type, until I
saw you. You fail to realize that your size is one of the things that turns me
on the most.”
Cade shifted his weight, irritated with his inability to get through to
Braden. “I’m extremely protective of you, Braden. I think that’s pretty
significant. That you, especially your size, brings out that protective instinct
like I’ve never felt before. I never knew that was something I needed in a
partner. There isn’t a thing about you that I would change, especially your
size.”
Braden glanced quickly up into Cade’s eyes. “It’s just hard to
believe.”
Cade’s brow furrowed. “Believe it, Braden.”
Braden glanced back down at his lap but nodded, wanting more than
anything to believe him. “Alright.”
 They sat in silence for a moment or two. Cade reached out and placed
both of his large hands on Braden’s knees. The gesture had him glancing at
Cade’s forearms. Braden stopped fiddling with his ring and reached a hand
out to trace one of Cade’s tattoos. “Can I ask you something?”
Cade gently nudged Braden’s head up with his hand, forcing Braden
to look at him. “Anything.”
Braden bit his lip, glanced at Cade’s chest and looked back up. “Do
your tattoos mean anything? You have so many and they’re all over. I
thought at first they were just on your arms, but you have them everywhere,
don’t you?”
Cade’s face looked concerned, and something else Braden couldn’t
grasp. “Do they bother you?”
“No. Umm, I’ve never cared one way or another about tattoos before,
but yours, I love yours. Really, really love yours.”
Cade’s face relaxed at that news, a knowing grin slipping across his
lips. “Most of them are just beautiful designs, created by my tattoo artist,
who I’ve been friends with for years. I told him once that I really liked the
look of Maori tribal tattoos, where each design builds on top of the next and
it all flows together, so he incorporated a lot of that. Some of them do have
specific meaning but as you know, I like my privacy, so the ones that have a
story are usually embedded in such a way that I’d need to point them out.
One day I’ll tell you about them, but tonight is about you, OK?”
Braden blushed, but nodded and whispered, “OK.”
“Good, now, can we get under the covers and can I hold you? Which
side of the bed do you prefer?”
Braden shrugged. “Uh, it doesn’t matter. You can choose.”
Cade shook his head. “No baby, this is not about my comfort, it’s
about yours. You pick your side. I can sleep anywhere, so don’t worry about
me.”
“OK, I like this side.”
Cade slid over to the opposite side of the bed and got under the
covers with Braden. He stacked a few pillows behind him so that he was
reclining, but not laying down flat. He patted his chest. “Put your back to
my chest.”
Braden knew right away that Cade was once again choosing a
position for them that would help Braden be able to get through their
discussion feeling some measure of comfort. Braden suspected that Cade
knew the conversation was going to be difficult enough and he wanted to
help him feel at ease by letting Braden have his back to him.
Braden looked directly into Cade’s eyes. “When you had me sit on
your lap earlier, you put yourself below my eye level on purpose didn’t
you? Just like you’re asking me to face away from you now, right? You’re
trying to make me feel at ease with you.”
Cade reached out a hand and brushed Braden’s hair back over his
shoulder. “My size intimidates people, whether I want it to or not, and I’ll
admit that if a situation calls for it, I want it to. However, I would never use
my size to intimidate or hurt you. We’re at the beginning stages of our
relationship and the way I see it, part of my job in our relationship, is to
take care of you, to put your needs before my own. I need you to trust me,
to feel safe with me, if this relationship is going to work. So yes, I’ll do
anything I can do to help with that.”
Braden pulled Cade’s hand into his lap. “I appreciate what you’re
doing and admit it makes me feel more at ease. I don’t know quite how it is
that you know me well enough to know these things, but I’m grateful,
regardless. Can I ask you a favor?”
Cade squeezed Braden’s hand. “Anything.”
 Braden glanced a Cade, his gaze imploring. “Can you promise me
that you won’t pull your automaton act again and go to Vaughn’s and beat
the shit out of a punching bag, until your hands are bruised and bloody? I
think after this conversation; I’m really going to need you here with me.”
Cade pulled Braden closer and kissed his palm. “I promise. I’m sorry
I did that and worried you, baby.”
Cade gently took Braden’s face in his hands and drew him into a soft
kiss. He got up, dimmed the lights, and got back in bed. He helped get
Braden situated and pulled the blanket over them. Settling his arms around
Braden, he kissed the top of his head and whispered, “You feel so good in
my arms. You’re safe here, Braden. Talk to me.”
Taking a deep breath, Braden started at the beginning. He told Cade
how his relationship with Eric had begun like most of his relationships.
He’d been attracted to Eric immediately and had made the first move.
They’d dated and gotten to know each other. Eric was older than Braden by
10 years and a CEO of a well-respected local non-profit. Braden admitted
that he was in awe of Eric at the beginning of their relationship. He was so
self-assured, so strong and commanding. Braden easily began to lose
himself in Eric, but he thought he was in love, so he didn’t think anything
of it. He found himself moving in with Eric after only dating him for three
months.
Braden blushed, but he knew he needed to say this next bit, before he
lost his nerve. He needed Cade to understand why he couldn’t give
someone else control. “I don’t even want to tell you this. I’m afraid you’ll
think I’m some kind of kink freak, but before Eric, I’d always wanted to be
in a relationship that tested boundaries. I had fantasies about being
dominated in the bedroom. I had always wanted to let go and feel free to
trust someone with my body and push my limits, sexually, but I kept it to
myself because I was embarrassed.”
Braden cleared his throat and shifted in Cade’s arms. “In the early
days, with my rose colored glasses, I thought his domineering ways were
sexy. That he was just that into me. Thinking back on it now, I’m so
ashamed to admit that I enjoyed feeling like he’d fallen in love with me so
quickly. I had never been with someone that was so intense and it felt good,
because he was so purely focused on me and I’d never had that. I wish now
that I hadn’t been that naïve, that I hadn’t convinced myself it was love,
when it was really more like an unhealthy obsession. I’m angry that I didn’t
see him for what he was.”
Braden went on to explain that he couldn’t remember when it started
to change. It wasn’t like one day, out of the blue, he beat the shit out of him.
It was small things at first. Things that if looked at individually weren’t a
huge deal, but lump them together with the whole, and there was a definite
pattern. At first, he would act sad when Braden came home late, or
disappointed if Braden spent a lot of time with Maya. Braden hated seeing
him upset, so he started to make an effort to be punctual and reserve his free
time for Eric. Then Eric had issues with Braden’s clothes and the things he
would say. Eric had started to buy Braden clothes, and though Braden didn’t
like them, he wore them so he wouldn’t hurt Eric’s feelings.
Pretty soon the relationship was taking a toll on Braden. He was
having more migraines than usual and generally just not feeling well,
physically. He took a good look at what was going on, the way he’d begun
to completely change who he was. The sad and disappointed expressions
had long since been replaced by irate looks and angry words. They were
fighting all the time and Eric would often push him around and make it look
like an accident. It happened often enough that when Eric eventually moved
on to hitting Braden, he wasn’t even surprised, and didn’t believe Eric’s
promises that he would never do it again. At that point he felt trapped.
He was in an abusive relationship with a man who was known in the
area as a do-gooder, the CEO of HYSC that did amazing things for the
community’s homeless youth. He didn’t trust anyone would believe him
and in the end, he knew Eric would go ballistic if he ever reported him.
That was when he made the decision to leave, and he began planning.
He went and bought another phone from a different carrier with a
new number. He didn’t know if Eric had somehow cloned his old phone or
had a tracker on it, because he always seemed to know every step Braden
took. After that, he maintained both phones, hiding his new one from Eric
and giving everyone else in his life his new number.
He asked Maya if he could move in with her for a while. Over the
course of several weeks, he gradually moved all of his own things out of
Eric’s house, with Eric none the wiser. It was unexpectedly easy to do. Most
of his stuff, including his clothes, were in boxes in the basement, as Eric
had said he didn’t have a lot of room for Braden’s stuff in the house. Braden
had nearly an entire wardrobe full of stuff Eric had bought him, his own
clothes had been moved to the basement months prior, so they weren’t in
the way of what Eric called his “new look”.
Once he had all of his stuff moved out of Eric’s house and over to
Maya’s, he created a new email account he would use going forward and a
dummy email account for backup. He went about changing his passwords
for everything else he could think of. He even went so far as to open several
new bank accounts. Anything that Eric could tamper with or use to keep
tabs on him was changed or shut down.
He set up a draft of an email on his old email account with Eric as the
main recipient and his dummy email address under the BCC line with the
subject: Video. He typed up a letter to Eric, one he would leave on the
countertop for Eric to find when he got home after Braden had made his
final escape. He drove back over to Eric’s and set up a camera in their
bedroom, knowing that Eric would hurt him, but not seeing another way to
guarantee his safe escape.
From past experience, Braden counted on being knocked around and
Eric storming out of the house for hours. That evening, when Eric got home
from work, Braden told him that he was going to leave. Things went
according to plan, only much worse than Braden had expected. Eric beat
him until he was nearly unconscious, and then viciously raped him. Eric
screamed and railed at Braden, telling him he would never let him leave,
even threatened to kill him. All of it was caught on camera. Eric left after
that, assuming of course that Braden was too hurt to move and would stay,
like he always had in the past.
Eric was gone for at least an hour, as it took that long for Braden to
be able to get himself off the bed, complete his plan, and leave. When he’d
finally made his way over to his phone, he saved the video to his new
Dropbox account, attached the video to his email draft that he’d created
earlier, and sent a copy to Eric and the dummy email account. He found
Eric’s iPad, logged in, checked that the email came through and the video
worked, and marked it as unread. He left the letter he’d printed at Maya’s
on the kitchen counter, walked out the door to his car and left.
The letter said he was leaving Eric and he never wanted to see or hear
from him again. It asked Eric to check his email and view the video he
received. It stated that there were two more copies of the video and that one
of them was sent to a lawyer that would remain nameless. If anything were
to happen to him, Maya or Nana, Eric’s board of directors would receive a
copy, as well as all the local news channels and the police department.
 Braden drove to the closest supermarket and tossed his old phone into
the dumpster out back. He drove himself to the hospital where he had a rape
kit done in order to have the evidence later in case he needed it. He was
urged to contact the police, but he refused at that point and was treated for
the rest of his injuries. He had a concussion and possible internal bleeding,
so they kept him overnight for further observation and testing.
He was released the next day and went home to Maya’s place. He got
in bed and called her, telling her he was at her house, but was feeling like
shit and just needed a few days off. He assured her he was fine and would
see her when she got home. Later when she arrived, she came to talk to him
and he convinced her that the breakup was dealt with and he just had a
really bad migraine and needed to stay home for a few days. He was able to
recuperate without her knowing he’d been beaten so badly and three days
after getting home, he was back at work. He’d never heard back from Eric
after that and had hoped he never would.
Finally done telling the story, he sat in Cade’s strong embrace for a
while, coming back into himself and taking stock. He hadn’t realized that he
had been shaking the whole time he’d been telling Cade about the abuse.
Nor had he known that he had tears running down his face, which he rubbed
away. Neither of them said anything for several minutes. He could feel how
tense Cade was. Sometime during his walk back through his relationship
with his ex, he’d ended up on Cade’s lap again and was being held so
tightly, it was just shy of being hard to breathe and yet somehow it was
perfect. At that point, he had nothing to lose, so he asked Cade exactly what
was on his mind. “Do you think less of me, or think I’m weak?”
Cade’s body shook with emotion. “God, how can you ask me that?
Braden, look at me.”
 Taking a deep fortifying breath, not knowing what was to come,
Braden turned his head and looked at Cade. He had tears in his eyes and
such sorrow in them that it nearly broke Braden in two.
Cade gently swiped away Braden’s remaining tears. “I think you’re
the strongest man I know. You did what you had to do, and you were so
fucking smart about it. As pissed off as I was to learn about that video when
you first told me, I know that you did the only thing you could think of to
get the hell away from him. You protected yourself, Maya, and Nana, which
in itself makes me so damned proud of you. I would give anything to have
been there, to have been able to protect you myself. I feel so useless right
now. I want to kill him, Braden. I want to kill him for laying a hand on you.
The only thing that’s keeping me from it is that I know it would end up
hurting you in the end.”
Braden was stunned by Cade’s words. He reached up and trailed his
fingers gently down Cade’s face, leaned in and kissed him with every ounce
of emotion he had in him. Cade drew slowly away. “Can I please stay with
you tonight? We won’t talk about the other stuff right now, but please don’t
ask me to leave, I can’t do it. I need to hold you in my arms tonight.”
Braden managed a tremulous smile. “Yes, please stay. I’ve never told
anyone what I’ve told you. It felt good to finally say it, to get it out. I feel
like a weight has been lifted, Zavier. Thank you for listening.”
“I’d do just about anything for you.” After a few beats of silence in
which they gazed at each other, Cade tilted his head. “Can I ask you
something?”
Braden nodded. “Yes.”
“When I was asking questions to help us learn more about who could
be stalking you, you said you’ve been single for over a year, but have you
had any dates since that time? Been with anyone else?”
 After a deep breath and a small tremor that shook his slight frame, he
whispered, “No. I’ve been too scared to trust anyone enough to even spend
time with anyone.” After a long pause, Braden’s voice grew stronger, “Until
you, Zavier.”
Cade tightened his hold in a reassuring squeeze. “Oh god, baby, I
promise you, I’ll never make you regret it.”
Braden glanced away. “I want so badly to believe that. Actually what
scares me most is that I do believe it. That’s the worst part. Isn’t that fucked
up? I obviously can’t trust my instincts. They’ve always steered me wrong.
Last time, they steered me to someone that beat and raped me. How can I
ever trust myself again?”
Cade grasped Braden’s shoulders and pushed him back so that he
could look in his eyes. “Braden, men like Eric are predators. They know
how to act to draw people in, to make them feel secure and cared for, loved.
Eventually, their true colors show, which is exactly what happened. It kills
me that you blame yourself for being beaten, for being raped…”
Indignant, Braden recoiled. “I don’t!”
Squeezing Braden’s shoulders, Cade raised his voice in frustration.
“You do, Braden! When you say you can’t trust yourself, you’re blaming
yourself. You need to stop that negative self-talk. You’re making yourself
out to be a victim, not a survivor. You can damned well trust your instincts
Braden. Your instincts told you something wasn’t right, they told you he
wouldn’t stop beating you, and that you had to get away from him. Your
instincts told you to pack your shit and find another place to go, to video
tape something that should never have happened. Your instincts got you out,
Braden! Trust your damned instincts!”
Cade was so upset he was shaking and sometime during his tirade
he’d cupped Braden’s cheeks and was brushing away his tears. He leaned in
and kissed the tears away, kissed Braden softly on the lips, and again
repeated his plea, his voice guttural with emotion. “Trust yourself, Braden.
Don’t let him win.”
Sobs all of a sudden wracked Braden’s small frame, and Cade held
him tightly and rocked him, murmuring softly that everything would be
OK. He rocked him and kissed his temple, his hair, his cheeks. He rubbed
his stubbled face against Braden’s soft hair, caressed his back until Braden’s
sobs diminished and he began to calm, continued to murmur until Braden
pulled back. They looked into each other’s eyes for what seemed forever,
until Braden raised his own hands to clasp Cade’s face, and whispered,
“OK”, and began to kiss him in return. He kissed Cade’s forehead, his
temples, his eyes, his cheeks, his nose, his chin, and finally, so softly it
almost undid Cade, his lips. There was such tenderness there, such trust that
Cade finally felt he’d gotten through to him.
Braden glanced at him anxiously. “Do you still want to stay with me
tonight, after all that?”
Cade let out a pent up breath. “More than ever.”
They snuggled down in bed, spooning, their clasped hands held over
Braden’s heart. Cade’s other hand caressed over every inch of Braden he
could reach. Emotionally exhausted, Braden fell asleep immediately, feeling
completely safe in Cade’s arms. It took hours for Cade to sleep. He couldn’t
stop thinking of all that Braden had told him and what, if anything, he could
do about it. He finally drifted off, feeling somewhat better that he’d at least
helped bring Braden some measure of peace.

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade woke up with Braden still asleep in his arms. They had both
slept in, and he was glad that Braden had slept soundly through the night.
Braden’s head was lying on his chest and his arm was tight around his
waist, not wanting to let go, even in sleep. Braden’s leg was also tossed
over one of Cade’s, which was currently wreaking havoc on his ability to
control his libido and the more he thought about it, the harder the situation
became, as it were. Cade had awoken with one arm around Braden’s back,
and his other holding Braden’s hand that lay on his chest.
Cade felt the moment Braden woke and took stock of his position,
nearly on top of Cade. He waited to see how Braden would react and
though his first reaction was tension at waking up in a strange situation, he
immediately relaxed and melted into Cade. He flexed his hand under
Cade’s, laced their fingers together, looked up into Cade’s eyes and smiled
sleepily. “Hi.”
“Morning, baby.”
Braden smiled at the endearment. “I think this is my new favorite
place to wake up.”
“What, your new bed, or in my arms?”
Braden smiled. “Yes.”
Cade chuckled, loving Braden’s response. “It’s my new favorite as
well. You gonna kick me back into the guestroom tonight?”
 “I don’t know. I’m getting kinda used to waking up like this; it might
become an addiction.”
Cade growled, reached down and tugged Braden’s leg over his hip,
bringing Braden to rest on top of him where he could have no doubts as to
Cade’s aroused state. He watched Braden’s eyes go wide and his lips part in
surprise. That surprise turned to desire and Cade could feel Braden’s body
react to his. Braden brought both of his hands up and stacked them on
Cade’s chest and rested his chin on them, a seductive gleam in his eyes.
“Well, now that you’ve got me where you want me, what are you going to
do with me?”
Cade reached up with both hands and ran them into Braden’s hair,
tugging it back from his face and holding him in place. He pulled Braden
forward, but instead of kissing his lips, like Braden expected, he nipped
along his jawline to his ear, tugged Braden’s earlobe into his mouth and bit
it just enough to send a jolt of heat through Braden. He teased the lobe with
his tongue, which caused Braden’s whole body to shiver. Cade felt Braden
get even harder between them and Cade smiled to himself, as apparently he
had found one of Braden’s hot spots. He’d file that away for future use. He
nipped one more time, again soothing the bite with his tongue, and
answered in a whisper. “I want to strip you of every piece of your clothing
and kiss every inch of your body; suck on your neck, your chest, your
stomach and inner thighs, branding you, marking you as mine.”
Cade heard Braden’s sharp intake of breath and pulled back to look
into his eyes that had turned to a dark jade and looked glassy with longing,
pupils blown. Cade let go of Braden’s hair and roamed his hands down
Braden’s sides, past his hips, down his thighs that had split and were lying
to the sides of Cade’s. He ran his hands over the back of those thighs and
pulled them apart farther, then pulled them up towards his hips, so that
Braden was on his knees. Braden reached out with one hand and traced
Cade’s bottom lip with his fingers, his eyes heavy lidded. Cade focused
solely on Braden’s gorgeous green eyes. Their stare was so heated that
Braden’s breathing quickened, and Cade’s voice was a low growl. “I want
to bury myself so deep inside of you that you can’t tell where I end and you
begin.”
He trailed his hands up his thighs again to cup Braden’s ass cheeks in
his hands, he squeezed them and massaged them. Keeping one hand on his
ass and upper thigh, he trailed the other up under Braden’s shirt, using his
blunt nails to lightly, softly graze his back.
Cade continued that light caress on his back, feeling the shivers move
through Braden. He marveled at Braden’s response to his touch. He seemed
starved for it, probably as starved as Cade was to give it to him. Cade
watched Braden move his hands on either side of him and he pushed up and
looked down at Cade, smiled and leaned to the left. Cade thought he was
going to bite his earlobe as he’d done to Braden, but he simply whispered,
“I can’t wait to have you there, deep inside of me, where I can’t tell where
you end and I begin.”
Braden moved his lips to the top of Cade’s ear and traced the outline
of the shell of Cade’s ear with his tongue and continued down the shell to
the lobe, to Cade’s neck, down his neck where he pressed the softest lightest
kisses down the side, over Cade’s throat, which he tilted back, and on up to
Cade’s other side where he switched back from kissing lightly to licking
back to Cade’s other earlobe, up the shell of his ear before he whispered, “I
want to lick, nip, and kiss every tattoo, starting at your wrists, moving up
your arms to your powerful shoulders, down your muscular chest where
those gorgeous piercings are. I want to tug on those piercings with my lips
and teeth, suck them into my mouth so that I can flick them with my
tongue.”
Cade groaned out loud, both his hands grabbing Braden’s hips in a
tight vice. He had never been so fucking turned on in his life and all Braden
was doing was telling him what he wanted to do. He reached up, clasped
Braden’s head between his big hands, fingers deep in his hair, and drew him
down for a kiss. Braden’s hands moved up Cade’s chest, up his neck and
clasped his jaw just as the kiss began. At first, their lips were closed, just a
gentle rub back and forth. Cade nudged Braden’s lips with his, opened his
mouth and trailed his tongue lightly along Braden’s bottom lip and tugged
that luscious, full lower lip into his mouth and nibbled on it, pulling it away
from Braden, licking it, and then letting it go. He did this several times until
Braden’s mouth was open for him.
He delved deep into Braden’s mouth, reveling in the tastes and
textures there. He heard Braden let out a tiny whimper. He kissed him
deeper, one hand letting loose his hair and grabbing Braden’s ass, he sat up
quickly and tugged Braden against his rock hard erection. Their cocks
rubbed against each other for the first time and Cade couldn’t help but pull
Braden in harder while he delved into Braden’s mouth again and again.
He felt Braden’s hips start to move against his own. He gripped them
with his hands and felt the flex of Braden’s muscles as his hips undulated
against him. Rubbing their cocks together, through their clothing, both of
them were breathing heavily, and Cade leaned his forehead against
Braden’s. They looked into each other’s eyes while they both moved,
Cade’s hands gripping Braden’s ass cheeks now, pulling him hard against
him over and over. Braden wrapped his arms around Cade’s neck as he rode
him. The feeling was more intense than Cade could have imagined. Braden
tilted his head back and let out a whimper when he heard Cade’s growl.
“That’s it, baby. Just like that.”
With Braden’s head thrown back, his throat was exposed, and Cade
wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to mark him. He nipped down his
jawline, down his throat to where Braden’s neck met his shoulder and it was
there that Cade opened his mouth wide, sucked hard and then bit Braden
with enough force to have the smaller man grunt and start moving faster on
Cade’s lap. Again, Cade’s mouth began a strong suction on that same spot.
He felt Braden shudder over him and moaned. When he knew Braden
would be wearing his mark for days to come, he stopped sucking and was
about to kiss Braden again, when Braden’s phone rang. Braden jumped, but
they both continued, trying their best to ignore it. It finally stopped ringing,
and Cade made a move to take his mouth again, but the phone started
ringing a second time.
Cade ground out a frustrated, “Fuck me.”
Braden laughed a little. “I was doing my best.”
He reached over to grab his phone. He glanced at the screen and got a
puzzled look on his face. Still sitting astride Cade, he mouthed an, “I’m
sorry,” to Cade as he answered it.
“Nana? Are you OK?”
Cade could hear Braden’s grandmother’s voice on the other end. “Am
I OK? Braden, I haven’t heard from you in well over two weeks, which
isn’t like you. Either something’s wrong, or you’ve met someone. Which is
it? And don’t even think of lying to me; you could never lie to me and get
away with it when you were younger, so don’t even think to try it on me
now.”
Cade smiled. He liked the woman already, even though she had
interrupted the hottest make-out and frotting session he’d ever had. He
leaned back against the pillows and enjoyed watching Braden talk on the
phone while still astride him, one hand on Cade’s chest as he held the phone
to his ear with the other, a blush suffused his cheeks. “Nana, I’ve just been
really busy. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“You bring your new man over here. Don’t even try to get out of it. I
want to meet him and make sure he’s good enough for you. Today, Braden,
or I’m calling my car service, and I’ll be there within a few hours.”
“How do you always know?”
“I know you. I expect you to come spend time with me, let me show
my boy off, and his new man, and then I want to go out to lunch. I wanna
go to that place you took me to, months ago. I want a real steak, none of
this sissy food they have here. I’m wasting away in this prison you keep me
holed up in. Poor Ethel took a dirt nap two weeks back; probably starved to
death.”
Horrified, Braden chastised, “Oh my god, Nana! That’s awful. Don’t
say that kinda stuff. Is Ethel really dead?”
“As a doornail.”
“Nana, stop! I’m sorry your friend is dead.”
“Well, you youngsters keep putting us geriatrics in lockup, what do
you expect?”
Braden rubbed his hand over his face in consternation. “Nana,
lockup? Really? It’s not a prison, and you’re the one that wanted to move
there! It’s the nicest retirement community in the state and you know you
love it. And, they have a very good chef there. Besides, how else would you
be able to find enough men to entertain you?”
“Well, there is that. In fact, a nice man moved into Ethel’s old place.
Name’s George, and we’ve got a date this week. He’s a charmer that one.
We’ll probably end up schtupping sooner or later. In fact, just last night...”
 Cade’s body shook with quiet laughter at the turn the conversation
had taken, and got his nipple twisted hard as a result. He watched Braden
heave a sigh and cover his eyes in exasperation as Nana went on about the
new man in her life. Still blushing, he glanced down at Cade and raised his
eyebrows and mouthed, “Lunch with Nana?” Cade grinned widely, put his
hands behind his head, and nodded.
Braden cleared his throat, completely and utterly distracted by the
display before him, Cade’s hands behind his head showed off his huge
muscular and tatted triceps. He reached out to trace one of those tattoos and
saw the heated look in Cade’s eyes. He finally realized that his grandmother
was still talking about her neighbor and interrupted, “OK, Nana, that’s
enough. We’ll come by and see you around 11.”
“Good boy. See you soon!” And just that fast, she hung up.
Braden groaned and all but collapsed on Cade’s chest. Cade laughed
and hugged Braden to him. “So, that was Nana, huh? Can’t wait to meet
her.”
Not looking up, Braden brought his hands up to cover his face and
kept it buried in Cade’s chest while shaking his head. He whispered, “Oh
god, the two of you together. Just…. God.”
Cade laughed and held onto Braden even tighter, then rubbed his
hands up and down Braden’s back in reassurance. “Come on, you’re gonna
give me a complex. Are you embarrassed to bring me to meet her?”
Braden bolted upright with a horrified expression, and practically
yelled, “No!” before he realized that Cade was pulling his leg. Braden
narrowed his eyes at Cade and smiled a dirty smile as he reached up and
grabbed one of Cade’s nipple rings through his shirt and tugged. Cade
hardly reacted, and his face grew serious. “You sure?”
 Braden’s brows drew together when he realized that Cade was serious
this time, and his jaw dropped open. “Are you serious, Zavier?”
Cade shrugged. “We established last night that we’re falling for each
other. We’re in a relationship, but we haven’t really talked about meeting
each other’s families. I can’t wait to show you off to mine. I really want to
meet your grandmother, but if you don’t want me meeting her yet, we can
wait.”
Braden, sitting astride Cade’s stomach now, Cade’s hands on his
thighs, looked down into his eyes and saw the uncertainty and immediately
had to assuage any worry Cade had. “Z, I’m gonna be so proud today,
taking you to meet Nana. You’re everything I’ve ever been attracted to in
my life, all rolled into the perfect package. You treat me like I’m everything
to you, and god, I’ve never, ever had that from a man in my life. She’s just
such a handful, and you can be quite a handful yourself, so the two of you
together, I just can’t imagine what this day will bring. But Z, I can’t think of
anything I want more than for you to meet her.”
The buzzing in Cade’s head stopped as soon as Braden assured him
that he wanted him to meet his grandmother. Then he realized that Braden
had finally called him by a term of endearment, and he smiled a mile wide.
“Z?”
Braden blushed and looked down. “Yeah, it’s how I think of you. I
don’t know why. It just sounds right in my head. If you hate it, I don’t have
to call you that.”
Sitting up, Cade drew Braden in for a hug. He pulled back and looked
into Braden’s eyes. “It’s perfect; I love it. No one has ever called me that, so
I like it even more because it’s only your name for me. I promise, I’ll be on
my best behavior.”
 Braden grew serious. “I don’t want to worry her about Eric. Can we
just not mention that?”
Cade’s brows drew down in consternation. “I don’t know, Braden.
She’s your only family. Are you sure you don’t want to talk to her about it?”
Braden sighed. “I’m sure. As funny and lighthearted as she seems,
she’ll worry herself to death. I just don’t want to do that to her.”
Cade shook his head. “OK. It’s your call.”
Braden rubbed Cade’s chest, sad that they couldn’t continue with
their earlier make out session. “Thanks. So, we should get ready to go out
there. It’s about an hour drive, and I need to check my blood and eat
something.”
“Why don’t you take your time getting ready? I’ll take a quick
shower and fix us some breakfast.”
“Sounds good.”
Cade took a cold shower. After Nana’s cock-blocking routine, it was
either that, or jerk off, and he didn’t want to get off without Braden, so his
options were severely limited. He brushed his teeth, pulled on a ribbed tank
top and one of his many pairs of tactical pants. He carried his button up
shirt into the kitchen to put on as they were leaving, and fixed a quick
breakfast, eating his while fixing Braden’s food. He called Cooper and let
him know about their plans. He was uneasy about not having backup while
having to look out for both Braden and his grandmother. Cooper agreed and
said he’d follow them. He also let Cade know there was no sign of Eric
yesterday.
He mentioned that he’d gotten copied in an email from Brody to both
of them stating that he’d been able to locate the Camry as it was driven into
a mall parking lot on Thursday night and hadn’t been driven back out.
Cooper said he had sent Sawyer and Jackson there that morning to try and
locate it and put a tracer on it to make things easier, should he use it again.
Leaving it someplace like a mall parking lot, however, didn’t bode well for
them to be able to track him that way. It reeked of final drop off location,
even though Cade hoped that wasn’t the case, as it was the one lead they
had on the fucker.
He didn’t want to keep this info from Braden, and he also wanted to
tell him about Cooper following them today, so he went into Braden’s room
with his breakfast, to let him know. Braden was standing in the bathroom in
his boxer briefs and Cade’s body reacted immediately. He was also wearing
his glasses and Cade had never seen a sexier sight in his life. He set the
breakfast on Braden’s dresser, walked into the bathroom and moved behind
Braden, who had shaving cream in his hand and a bit already on his face.
Braden, hair still wet and dripping down his back, met his eyes in the mirror
and then blushed when he saw the look in Cade’s gaze.
Cade finally, finally got to look at Braden without a shirt. He’d had
the chance yesterday, but exactly like Braden, had avoided looking,
knowing he’d be walking around with a permanent hard on, not to mention
he hadn’t wanted to make Braden uncomfortable. He looked at Braden’s
neck, and was immediately turned on even more by the mark he’d left on
Braden’s skin. He reached up and lightly touched him there, crowding up
flush against Braden’s back, looking his fill, and letting Braden feel what
seeing him like that was doing to him. Braden was thin, but god, he was
amazingly muscular for someone so lean. His muscle definition was perfect
and his skin flawless.
Cade reached around to Braden’s chest and gently caressed him there,
and then on down to his stomach where Cade could just see the little red
mark on the skin from his latest injection. He gently rubbed that spot,
looking into Braden’s eyes in the mirror. Braden’s eyes had turned molten
with desire, and Cade clasped him by the hips and turned him around so
they were facing each other. He pressed himself against Braden and put his
hand under Braden’s chin to make him meet his gaze. “You’re so fucking
gorgeous.”
Braden blushed but said nothing. It was then that he realized that
Braden held his hand out to the side, so as not to get shaving cream on
Cade. He made a decision and went with it, lifting Braden up and
depositing him gently on the bathroom countertop. He kept his eyes on
Braden’s as he placed his hands on Braden’s knees and spread them so that
he could stand between them. He glanced around and saw a wet wash cloth,
grabbed it, and swiped all of the shaving cream off of Braden’s hand onto
his. He slowly and gently cleaned up Braden’s hand and placed that hand on
his own chest, wanting Braden’s hands on him. Cade gently spread the
shaving cream on Braden’s face, feeling like this was one of the most
intimate acts he’d ever taken part in and loving it.
Once all of the shaving cream was lathered on, he stepped aside, ran
some hot water in the sink, rinsed off his hands and found Braden’s razor.
He stepped back into Braden’s space. Braden moved his hips closer to the
edge of the countertop and hooked his legs behind Cade’s, drawing him
even closer and leaving them there. He looked at Braden and gave a quick
jerk of his head, and Braden responded immediately, lifting his chin and
exposing his throat to Cade. Holy fuck, the trust in that one small action
from Braden made Cade hard as a rock.
Braden splayed both hands on the sides of Cade’s chest and he was
lightly rubbing his thumbs in circles, driving Cade crazy. He focused on the
task at hand and began to shave Braden’s neck. He was slow and
methodical, watching the blade slide over Braden’s perfect, flawless skin.
Each pull on the razor revealed a throat Cade wanted to lick and bite and
suck. When he was done with his neck, Braden brought his head back
down, and Cade proceeded to shave the rest of his face, rinsing off the blade
every once in a while in the hot water in the sink.
When he was done, he took the washcloth, ran it under the hot water
and thoroughly cleaned off all remnants of the cream from Braden’s skin.
Braden turned to the counter and grabbed a bottle of aftershave cream and
handed it to Cade without a word. Cade pumped some of the cream in his
hand, and Braden kept his eyes on Cade’s. Again Cade gave a quick jerk of
his head, silently telling Braden to lift his chin, which he did. He slowly
applied the cream on Braden’s neck and when he did, he felt Braden’s
fingers dig, ever so slightly into his sides. He applied the cream to the rest
of Braden’s face and then rubbed his hands together and looked deeply into
Braden’s eyes.
He gripped Braden’s ass with one hand, and the back of his neck with
the other and kissed him deeply as he walked out of the bathroom with
Braden in his arms. When he was by the bed, he tapped both of Braden’s
legs. As Braden released his hold on Cade’s waist, Cade helped ease him
down to his feet and then had him sit on the bed while he grabbed the
breakfast plate and joined him on the bed where he proceeded to feed
Braden slowly and silently.

Braden had never been a part of such intensely intimate moments in

his life. As soon as Cade had stepped into his bathroom, the room itself
seemed to shrink, and the air seemed to get thicker. Cade had taken control
of Braden in every sense of the word and created a moment in his life that
Braden would never forget. The intensity with which Cade regarded him
was nothing short of breathtaking.
The whole time Cade was shaving him, he kept his mouth closed, not
wanting to interrupt the moment, but also not sure he could even find his
voice. When Cade eased him back down to his own two feet, they looked at
each other for long moments, before Cade got the food and fed him. When
he was done eating, Cade had leaned down and kissed his temple, and then
taken the plate and fork and left him some coffee when he left the room.
Braden sipped on the coffee while he finished getting ready, and soon
he met Cade in the kitchen where he was finishing cleaning up after
breakfast. Braden put his coffee mug in the dishwasher and turned to see
Cade shrugging into his button up shirt. When Cade reached to button his
cuffs, Braden brushed Cade’s hand away and began to button up his cuff for
him and when he moved on to the other cuff, Cade reached out with his
other hand and tugged Braden closer to him by a belt loop. Braden moved
on to buttoning the rest of the shirt, very slowly and when he got close to
the top, he noticed Cade’s Adam’s apple bob when Cade swallowed. How is
it that the act of dressing Cade felt as sexy as the act of undressing him
would be?
Inordinately pleased that Cade was reacting to him just as he reacted
to his shave, Braden smoothed his hands down Cade’s broad chest and
when he got to the edge of the shirt, he lifted the hem and looked up at
Cade questioningly. Cade widened his stance and Braden took that as a go
and lifted the hem of the shirt enough to get to Cade’s belt, which he slowly
loosened, and even more slowly he undid the button and then pulled the
zipper down. Once he had everything undone, he grabbed both sides of the
pants and slowly tugged until they bunched just below Cade’s hips. He
looked Cade in his eyes as he reached around behind him and tucked the
shirt into his pants, molding the shirt to Cade’s ass and squeezing gently. He
continued to tuck in the shirt, around the sides and around to the front
where he reached his hands in with the shirt and brushed Cade’s hard length
with the back of his hand while finishing the job.
Cade reached his hand up and raised Braden’s chin to force their eyes
to meet. Cade raised a brow and Braden couldn’t help it, his lips twitched.
He glanced back down and began the torturous task of ever so very slowly
pulling up Cade’s zipper, again letting the back of his hand graze Cade’s
solid length on the way back up. He buttoned him up and slid the belt back
into place and threaded the belt’s needle through the hole. Cade adjusted
himself and then grabbed Braden’s hand. He raised it to his mouth, and
kissed the palm, then nipped his fingers and threaded their fingers together,
as they walked toward the front door.
Setting the security, Cade finally spoke. “So, I wanted to let you
know a few things. First, there were no signs of Eric following us yesterday.
Second, it looks like Brody found out that the Camry was dropped at a mall
close to here, so Cooper is sending the guys out to search for it there to see
what they can find. And third, I wanted you to know from the beginning
today that Coop is going to tail us in the rental. I don’t want to be that far
away from here and not have some backup.”
Braden looked up at Cade. “Thanks for telling me everything.”
Cooper met them at the front door where Braden gave him the
address, and Cade proceeded to lead Braden down to his car and help him
into his seat, handing him his seat belt and kissing his temple before
shutting the door and heading over to the driver’s side. Both SUVs pulled
into traffic. They listened to music for a while, holding hands, and then
Braden remembered a discussion they never finished yesterday.
 Braden bit the inside of his cheek. “Zavier, can we talk about the
costs of my new bedroom furniture and my new car security system?”
Cade lifted his hand and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Braden…”
Turning sideways in his seat, Braden placed a hand on Cade’s knee.
“Just listen, please. I have money. I have more money than I need, so I
don’t want you to feel like these are things I can’t afford.”
Cade squeezed Braden’s hand gently, keeping it firmly planted there,
on his knee. “Baby, I wouldn’t care if you had millions, or if you had only
hundreds, I wouldn’t allow you to pay me back regardless. You’re not the
only one with money to spare. I bought those things for you because I want
to take care of your needs. It’s not about the money, it’s about me figuring
out what you need and providing it, whether it costs me a lot of money or
no money at all.”
Braden shook his head. “But Zavier…”
Cade raised a brow and quickly glanced over at Braden. “Remember
the talk we had about me taking care of you? I asked you if it felt good
when I take care of your needs, and you said no, it didn’t feel good, it felt
great. This is just an extension of that. Braden, you need to understand this
type of thing will continue. In this relationship I need to know that I am
meeting all of your needs.”
Braden tried to extricate his hand from Cade’s knee, but Cade was
having none of it. Braden let out a little growl, tugged, and got nowhere.
“But, what about your needs? I need to take care of you, too. This can’t be
all about me taking and you giving. I want to be on equal footing with you.
I can’t always feel indebted to you.”
Cade pulled Braden’s hand up to his mouth and nipped at his
knuckles, making Braden gasp. He gave Braden an exasperated glance.
“Indebted? Do you really care about the money? Let’s say something
happened to my car and I was busy with work or away on assignment, so
you took care of it. You realized I needed a better security system in it, and
you paid to get it done. Would you care about the money? Would you
expect me to repay you for doing that for me?”
Braden sighed, because he knew that he wouldn’t, and he was just
proving Cade’s point. “You know I wouldn’t care about that. But, that’s not
the point.”
Cade scoffed. “Bray, that’s exactly the point.”
Braden growled again. “Not when you’re always meeting my needs,
and I’m never meeting yours.”
Cade did his best not to chuckle at Braden’s frustration and squeezed
his hand again, trying to figure out how to explain how he felt. “But, you
are meeting my needs. OK, maybe this will help explain it, even though I
know this sounds backasswards. You’re fulfilling my needs by allowing me
to fulfill all of your needs. I’ve already explained that I’m protective of you,
that you’re everything to me and that I’m a fixer. I have an inherent need to
take care of what’s mine, and Braden, as far as I’m concerned, you are
mine. Not to mention the kicker, we’ve got major extenuating
circumstances going on right now. When things settle down, meaning, when
we catch this fucker and you no longer need protection 24/7, I won’t be
installing security systems everywhere and buying new bedroom furniture
because some fuckwit is after you.”
The GPS interrupted them to give them directions, and they sat in
silence for several minutes. Cade glanced over at Braden and realized he
was truly upset about something. He was sitting stiffly, looking out the
window, avoiding Cade’s gaze.
Confused, Cade let go of Braden’s hand and reached over to run his
hand over the top of Braden’s head. “Hey, Braden, look at me a second.”
 Braden lifted his eyes and Cade saw such sadness there. “What’s
going on? Why did you get so quiet and sad all of a sudden?”
Braden glanced down to his lap, his hands clasped tightly together. “I
just…. I know that when you’re done here, you’ll be leaving and going
back to Colorado Springs. I just don’t know how we’ll work long distance.
Not to mention, what if it’s not me that you’re falling for?”
Cade recoiled in disbelief. “What in the fuck are you talking about,
not you? Who else could it possibly be?”
Looking down at his hands again, Braden realized this; this right here
was one of his biggest fears with Cade. He felt sick to his stomach, but he
had to say it or it would become all-consuming and he wouldn’t be able to
function. “What if it’s the situation and not me? You said you’re a fixer.
What happens when you fix things? You’ll grow bored. I’m a baker for
fuck’s sake, not one of your military buddies that you have so much in
common with. You’re going to go back to Custos Securities after this job,
and I’m no longer going to need things fixed and that will be that.”
All of a sudden Cade yanked the steering wheel to the right, causing
Braden to reach out and grab for the door and the dash, as they swerved off
the highway. Braden’s eyes widened and looked at Cade, who looked livid.
Braden saw their rental SUV pull up right in front of them. Cade’s phone
rang, but it was already in his hand. “Give us ten,” he said and hung up,
tossing the phone in a cup holder.
Assuming that had been Cooper, Braden waited for Cade to talk. He
glanced over again and Cade’s hands were both gripping the steering wheel
tightly and then releasing it, gripping and releasing, over and over. He was
also breathing heavily, and Braden knew he was doing his best to calm
down and not freak out and scare him. If Braden had learned one thing
about Cade, it was that he had an iron will where it came to controlling his
temper around him. Braden had a feeling that Cade normally didn’t hide or
control his anger like he did around him.
Braden unlatched his seatbelt and turned in his seat to face Cade.
Cade looked over at him finally, unlatching his own belt. He leaned over,
grabbed Braden’s right leg under his knee, and put his other hand around
his ass and scooped him over onto his lap to straddle him.
“Zavier, what are you doing?”
“Z.”
Braden tilted his head, in confusion. “What?”
Cade scowled. “You call me Z, from now on, that’s what you call
me.”
Braden softened, his voice timid. “Z, what are you doing?”
Cade heaved an aggrieved sigh. “I can’t have this conversation with
you so far away.”
Braden’s brow rose. “Far away?”
Cade grunted. “For this type of conversation, I need you right here,
where I can feel you.”
Braden reached up and cupped Cade’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to
make you mad. I’m just scared that you’re such a fixer that once I’m fixed,
there’s nothing tying you to me.”
Cade grabbed Braden’s shoulders and shook him gently. “Jesus, fuck,
Braden, there is nothing about you that needs fixing. That’s not why I’m
here! Not to mention I fix situations, not people! Yes, I’m going to deal
with this Eric situation, that you can count on, but that is completely
unrelated to my feelings for you. Do you think I look at you and see Eric?”
Confusion clouded Braden’s eyes. “What? No!”
It was Cade’s turn to growl. “I see you, Braden! I. See. You. And
everything about you, everything, is what I want. I want your smiles, every
day, your laughter. I want your eyes to turn liquid jade when I turn you on. I
want you to bake me coffee cake and rub my head and shoulders. I want to
see that smile on your face when you’re hugging Maya. I want to rub your
tummy after you give yourself an injection. I want to take care of you, when
we can’t avoid you getting a migraine. I want you to run circles around me
while we’re jogging together. I want you to call me or text me to see how
my day is going, and I want to be able to do that for you. I want to leave
notes for you on your pillow when I leave earlier than you. I want to take
care of your needs, every single one of them. I told you once that if you
wanted to keep me around, all you had to do is say the words. Do you
remember that?”
Cade’s words melted Braden, but he still shook his head. “I can’t ask
you to give up your business, and I’m so sorry, but I don’t want to give up
mine either.”
Cade’s eyes met Braden’s, beseeching. “Baby, I would never ask that
of you, you have to know that by now. But, I guess the question is, do you
want to keep me around? If my business was no issue, would you say those
words? Or do you only want something temporary with me?”
Braden gripped onto Cade’s shirt and tugged. “God, yes, Z. Yes, I
would say those words. I wouldn’t be bringing you to meet Nana today if I
wasn’t thinking of a future with you. I don’t understand how it can work,
but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it to.”
Cade let out a breath, his shoulders finally relaxing. “That’s for me to
worry about. I’m the fixer, so let me figure that out. Regardless, I need you
to actually say it, Bray. Say the words.”
“Z…”
Cade gently caressed Braden’s cheek. “Baby, do you trust me?”
“With my life.”
 “Then trust me with this.”
Braden realized, it really was as simple as that, and relented. “OK.
Yes. Please, stay with me. I don’t want you to go. I never want you to go.”
Cade smiled wide. “I’ll stay with you, Bray. I’ll stay with you
forever.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade pulled Braden in for a kiss and suddenly Braden found himself
back in his seat and Cade was pulling the seatbelt across his lap. A bit
dazed, and a lot bemused, he watched Cade latch his own belt and pull
quickly back onto the road. “You realize that I reserve the right to call you
Zavier as well as Z, right?”
“No, only Z.”
Braden laughed and poked Cade in the ribs. “So then, following your
logic, you will only ever call me Bray, and never Braden.”
“That’s not the same.”
Braden’s jaw dropped and he huffed. “It’s exactly the same!”
Cade shook his head. “Nope, Z is like when I call you baby. It’s not
just a nickname, it’s an endearment.”
Braden softened, but not by much. “OK, that was sweet, but I’m still
going to call you Zavier sometimes, especially when I’m mad at you.”
Cade, eyes on the road, shook his head, his face serious. “Never
happen.”
Braden laughed. “Never? I’ll never, ever get mad at you?”
“Nope.”
Braden chuckled and shook his head. Cade grinned, happy that he’d
put a smile on Braden’s face. Less than 20 minutes later, they arrived at the
community where his grandmother lived. Cooper parked beside them, got
out, opened Braden’s door and leaned down to look at both of them. “How
good is the security in this snazzy place? I figure someplace this fancy has
got to have some security.”
Braden was taken aback by the question and then all of a sudden felt
sick. “Fuck, I didn’t…. I was only thinking you needed backup while we
were out with her, I didn’t even think about when we leave here. Oh god, oh
god…. “
“Breathe, Braden. Don’t panic. Just breathe.”
He felt Cade’s grip on his left hand, and Cooper’s on his right. He
opened his eyes and saw Cooper squatting down beside him, looking
concerned.
Braden gulped in a breath. “Did we put her in danger, coming here
today? Of course we did; what the fuck was I thinking? We should go. Let’s
just go. I can call her and tell her something came up.”
Cade put a hand on Braden’s chin. “Bray, look at me. Everything is
fine. How long has she lived here?”
Braden looked into Cade’s eyes and relaxed when he saw how calm
he was. “About four years.”
Cade clasped his hand and squeezed gently. “Didn’t Eric meet her? I
thought you said he met both Maya and your grandmother, when I was
asking you all those questions about him.”
Braden nodded. “Yes, we came here once, just after I moved in with
him, before he started….”
Cade squeezed his hand again. “Right, so he knows about her and
where she lives and hasn’t mentioned her. So far, it’s only been about you,
and maybe me, because I’m living with you and that is what pisses him off.
He’s obsessed with you, Braden, and I think his focus is pretty narrow at
this point. Coop was just asking as a precaution. I personally think that we
should show security here pictures of him, current and past, and let them
know to be on the lookout for him. I also think you should tell your
grandmother about him, again, just as a precaution, but that’s up to you. I
know you said you don’t want to worry her, but in the end, warning her to
be on the lookout might be wise.”
Braden looked like he wanted to argue, but then sighed and his
shoulders fell in defeat. “You’re right. If we don’t warn her and something
happens, I’d hate myself.”
Braden pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. “Nana, we’re
here. Sorry we’re a few minutes late. Where are you right now?”
“The Commons, dear.”
Braden sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Of course you are. Ok, we’ll
be there in a few.”
Braden hung up and looked at both Cade and Cooper in resignation.
“OK, she’s in The Commons, which is the area where everyone socializes,
plays games, and watches movies. Basically she’s having us come into the
lion’s den, where all of her friends and boyfriends will get to watch us enter,
and she’ll be holding court, waiting to show us off.”
Cade laughed. “Lion’s den?”
Braden shook his head. “You think I’m joking, but you’ll see. She’s
the kindest, most selfless woman I’ve ever met, but she’s also exuberant
and brash. It’s a strange combination that attracts both males and females
like flies to honey. She makes people laugh and she includes everyone,
makes everyone feel important, even while making jokes and poking fun.
It’s kind of an art form.”
Cooper stood and waited by Braden’s door. Cade leaned over, pulled
Braden’s chin towards him and laid a quick kiss on his lips. “Coop will
come in with us, but will focus on checking out security, talking to them,
and providing pictures.”
 Braden shrugged. “OK, let’s head in then, no sense in delaying the
inevitable.”
Cade, fingers entwined with Braden’s, laughed and thought to
himself it couldn’t be that bad. Then they walked into The Commons, and
he realized that Braden had been pretty darn close to spot on. The
Commons was a huge room with areas designated for different activities.
There had to be at least 30 people, all busy doing different things. A tiny
little spitfire of a woman stood and walked toward Braden with arms
outstretched. “Braden! My boy! Give me some sugar!”
All eyes turned towards them and several people stopped what they
were doing to wander closer, while Braden regretfully pulled his hand from
Cade’s and walked forward to greet his grandmother.
Braden, looking strangely tall beside this little bit of a woman,
gathered her in a fierce embrace and actually lifted her right off her feet,
causing her to giggle like a young girl. Cade heard him murmur, “Nana,
you’re looking beautiful, as ever.”
She blushed like a schoolgirl. “Oh, you!”
Braden put her back on her feet, and she cupped his cheeks in her
hands and looked at him for long moments, while more of her friends drew
ever nearer. She narrowed her eyes at him. “There’s something going on
that you don’t want to tell me about. I can see the strain on your face. We’ll
discuss it at lunch. In the meantime, introduce me to your handsome new
man. My, he’s rather big. Isn’t he?”
Braden shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I can never get anything
past you.” He looked behind him at Cade and held out his hand. Cade
stepped up next to him, clasped his hand and entwined their fingers. Braden
smiled. “Nana, this is Zavier McCade, Zavier, this is my Nana, Clara
Cross.”
 Cade reached for her left hand before she could raise her right one to
shake his. She lifted her left hand in surprise and again the blush appeared
as Cade kissed the back of her hand. “Mrs. Cross, it’s an honor to meet you,
ma’am.”
“Oh, none of that Mrs. and ma’am stuff. Call me Nana!”
Cade winked. “Yes ma’am, Nana it is.”
Nana smiled. “You’re a cheeky one, aren’t you?”
Cade gave her a devilish grin. “Guilty, ma’am.”
Nana harrumphed. Before she could lead them deeper into The
Commons to become fodder for the old gossips, Braden caught her. “Nana,
as much as we’d love to stay and chat with all of your friends, I’m getting
hungry and need to check my blood and eat fairly soon.”
Nana narrowed her eyes. “Never was one to be the center of
attention, more like my Ronald that way. So I guess we can go now; let me
just get my bag and my coat.”
She walked off and grabbed both, and brought them back over where
Cade helped her into her coat, causing another blush, and then Braden held
his left arm out for her to hold onto. Cade walked behind and to the right of
Braden, his left hand at Braden’s lower back, and led them both out to the
car, where Braden did his best to get her to sit in the front, but she wasn’t
having it. Braden opened the back door for her, helped her into her seat and
handed her the seatbelt. He shut the door and almost bumped into Cade and
realized that Cade was there to do the same for him. Smiling at Cade and
receiving a wink in return, Cade helped him into his seat, handed him his
seatbelt, shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. If Braden
wasn’t watching for it, he would have missed the look that passed between
Cade and Cooper, as Cade passed by Cooper’s door.
 Cade got into the car, reached into the compartment between their
seats and pulled out Braden’s testing kit. While he started the engine, he
asked Braden’s grandmother something about the retirement community
and her friends, and they sat in the idling car until Braden had given himself
his injection. Then, they were on their way. During the drive Braden’s
grandmother continued to regale them with funny stories about her friends.
Cade took an immediate liking to her and could see some of her in Braden,
which just endeared her more to him.
He pulled Braden’s hand back over to his side of the car, squeezed it,
and rested his hand on his lap. It didn’t take long to get to the steakhouse
Nana had requested they go to for lunch. As they were getting out of the car
to walk into the restaurant, Nana shocked them. “Well, you might as well
invite your friend in. The one who’s been following us. That way you can
all fill me in on what’s really going on.”
Leaving Cade and Braden behind in a surprised stupor, Nana breezed
through the doors as they were opened for her and proceeded to ask for a
table for four. Braden finally smiled at Cade’s expression. “Well, she’s a
noticer, so she probably saw you share a look with Cooper in the parking
lot. She then probably saw him following us as well. My guess is by using
her handy dandy little compact, which she uses quite often, but rarely for its
intended purpose. She’s a big fan of spy novels as well, so you’ve just
piqued her interest, in a major way.”
Cade sighed and gave a slight jerk of his head to Cooper, who
followed them in, and they all settled down at the table the maître d' brought
them to. After they all placed their orders, Nana gave Cooper a thorough
once over. “Are you Cooper, Maya’s brother?”
Cooper raised a brow and smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
 “Well, you look just like her, it’s not that hard to figure things out, if
you pay attention. And, if I remember correctly, you’re ex-military and co-
owner of a security business. I’m assuming Cade is the other co-owner?” At
their nods, she continued, “Now that that’s out of the way, I think I deserve
an explanation for what is going on with my grandson.”
With that, Braden began to explain, and with every word, Nana
became more and more distraught. He didn’t want to give her portions of
the truth, so he laid out everything about the stalking and the fact that they
now knew it was Eric after him. When he was done, they all sat in silence,
which was good, because that’s when their food arrived.
Barely glancing at her meal, Nana admitted, “I always hated that
nasty piece of work.”
“Nana!”
“Well, I did. He was always trying too hard, with that smarmy charm
that was too ingratiating to be believed.”
Braden gaped. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I did, after the first time I met him, before you even moved in with
him. I told you I didn’t like him, that he was too charming.”
Braden flopped back in his chair in defeat. “I guess you did. At the
time, I just thought he was trying to make a good impression and was
nervous. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry now that I didn’t.”
They continued to discuss the steps Cade and Cooper were taking to
ensure Braden’s safety, and Cooper showed her the same pictures of Eric
that he’d shown the security personnel at her retirement community.
Throughout all of this, Nana was taking stock of Cade, listening to him talk,
along with Cooper and Braden. She took in the way his long arm draped
over Braden’s chair, the way he curved himself protectively around Braden,
without actually touching him, and the way Braden seemed to lean towards
Cade, seeking out that protection.
She saw Braden’s hair move, and realized she’d been wrong, that
Cade was touching him; he was playing with Braden’s hair. She felt
concerned for Braden all of a sudden, for more reasons than the Eric
situation. When she thought she was just meeting Braden’s new boyfriend,
back at the retirement home, she’d been so happy Braden had found
someone, but now, with all of this other information, she felt uneasy.
She narrowed her eyes at Cade. “Can I ask what your interest is in
my grandson? I don’t want him being taken advantage of during a time
when he needs someone to protect him, not prey on him. Don’t get me
wrong, I know damn good and well that my grandson is a catch. He’s
gorgeous and you’d be hard pressed to find a gay man out there that
wouldn’t find him attractive, not to mention, all of the straight women that
hit on him constantly. On top of that, he’s one of the most caring people I
know. He has an enormous heart and has a lot to give, but I don’t know that
this is the best time for a new relationship. Are you intending for him to feel
indebted to you? And exactly how old are you? You look a little old for
Braden.”
At that, Braden finally jumped in. “Jesus, Nana, what’s with the
inquisition? Zavier and I are in a relationship and will remain in one even
after Eric has been caught. You don’t know him and shouldn’t be judging
him like this. Don’t be rude.”
Nana looked like she was going to respond, but Cade reached over
and grabbed Braden’s hand with his free hand, brought it up to his lips and
kissed it, then leaned down to Braden and spoke softly, though not so
quietly that Nana couldn’t hear him. “She’s not being rude, Bray, she’s
being protective, and I have to say, I’d think much less of her if she wasn’t
asking some of these questions. Let her ask me what she feels she needs to
ask me, so I can reassure her and set her mind at ease.”
Nana apparently took that as a challenge. “Are you after my
grandson’s money?”
Cooper had been drinking some water and nearly spit it out when she
asked that question. Braden stiffened and admonished her. “Nana, that’s
enough!”
Nana merely glanced his way, and then continued to calmly regard
Cade. Cade grinned, not insulted in the least. “Ma’am, to answer one of
your first questions, I’m 38, so ten years older than Braden. To be quite
honest, I wasn’t aware that he even had any money, until he told me himself
today.”
Nana raised an elegant eyebrow and continued to wait. Cade smiled
again. “I assure you, ma’am, I am not after your grandson’s money. His
money is actually the furthest thing from my mind. Foremost on my mind is
keeping him safe.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Cooper finally couldn’t keep his mouth closed any longer,
exasperated that his friend wasn’t defending himself. “Tell them, Cade.”
“Cooper, stay out of this.”
Cooper leaned closer to Braden. “Can you hand me your watch?”
Cade gave him a warning stare. “Cooper.”
Braden, completely confused, and feeling the beginnings of a
headache, handed his watch over. Cooper took it and removed his own,
handing them both over to Braden’s grandmother, who took them but didn’t
look at them. “Ma’am, I know you’re being protective, and when it comes
to Braden, it’s hard not to be, myself included, and my sister as well. You
raised a really good man, really good, but what you need to understand is
that Cade is an equally good man. He was my commanding officer in our
unit, and he’s saved my life more times than I can count. He’ll save your
grandson’s as well, should it be necessary. Though, we all hope it won’t
be.”
Cooper leaned back, ignoring Cade’s glare, and focusing his attention
on Nana. “I know for a fact that Cade is not after your grandson’s money
because he has a ridiculous amount of his own. My watch is the one that is
all metal, Braden’s has a leather band that he must have had made to fit that
watch. Turn mine over, please, ma’am.”
Braden was beginning to understand what was going on and glanced
over at Cade, his mouth agape. “Are you serious?”
Cade let out a gentle huff of air, his frustration with Cooper quite
obvious. “It’s not really something that comes up in everyday
conversation.”
Cade dug into one of his cargo pockets and pulled out a tiny metal
rectangle case that he opened up and removed something from. He took
Braden’s hand and dropped a couple of Ibuprofen into it, leaned forward for
Braden’s water and handed that over as well.
Braden shook his head while swallowing the pills and laughed at both
the situation with the watches and the fact that Cade knew he had a
headache brewing. His grandmother, after watching them for a moment,
looked at the back of Cooper’s watch, where the McCade family seal was
stamped.
Cooper explained about the seal. “Cade’s great grandfather and
grandfather were watchmakers, his father as well. They did OK for
themselves, but it wasn’t a household name. Cade’s father was in the
military and took over the watch business when he retired. Cade was
military and two of his brothers as well and they, along with the rest of their
family, found themselves talking years ago about the fact that there wasn’t a
watch that could do everything they needed it to do. To make a long story
short, they created McCade Military Watches. They began by only
providing timepieces for the military, but pretty soon civilians wanted them
as well. So, in other words, Cade’s need to work for a living ended in his
late 20s. If he never wanted to work another day in his life he’d still have
enough money for their children and probably their children’s children to
live on.”
Cade shook his head in exasperation. “Are you done?”
Braden’s eyes popped wide. “Our children?”
Cade’s focus went from Cooper to Braden and saw the shocked look
in his eyes. Cade’s face softened, looking at his man, who had been
overwhelmed by everything since they’d walked into the restaurant. He
leaned over and tipped Braden’s chin up. He smiled gently and teased.
“What? You don’t want to have children with me?”
Braden’s mouth dropped open and then he closed it with a click of his
teeth, shook his head, then his eyes shot open wide, and he nodded his head
and sputtered, “I… What?”
Cade laughed, leaned in and kissed Braden’s temple. “I’m teasing
you, Braden. That’s getting a little ahead of ourselves, even for me. Cooper
was just trying to make his point, against my wishes, I might add.” That last
bit he said much louder, and Cooper just shrugged.
Cade took a deep breath and was about to address Nana’s questions.
He looked up and saw her watching them. Her demeanor had softened and
he realized something must have clicked with her. “Did Cooper’s disclosure
set your mind at ease?”
She glanced up at him and smiled a tentatively. She handed Cooper
and Braden their watches and met Cade’s eyes again when she answered.
“All that helped to do was verify that you’re not out to get Braden’s money.
I’m sorry if I offended you with my questions and accusations. I’m scared
for him. He’s the only thing I have left on this earth and he means
everything to me. I don’t want anyone taking advantage of him or hurting
him.”
Cade smiled. “I completely understand, Mrs. Cross. Let me assure
you that I would never, ever, hurt Braden. I’m curious to know what it was
that changed your mind.”
“You did.”
Cade raised a brow, his voice laced with confusion. “I haven’t done
anything, ma’am.”
“Actually, in the last 30 minutes, you’ve done quite a bit. Many gay
men would be scared to touch their partner in public, and yet, there hasn’t
been a second that you haven’t been touching Braden in some small way,
since we got out of the car. While we’ve been here, you’ve paid attention to
everything that’s been said, and yet you’ve constantly been watching the
room around us, searching for any threats to him. When one of the waiters
leaned a little too closely to Braden, you noticed immediately that he got
uncomfortable when he edged closer to you. You automatically pulled him
in and warned the waiter off with a look. When you’re not looking around
for any sign of a threat, you’re having a hard time keeping your eyes off of
him. And you noticed Braden had a headache and you just so happened to
have some pills for him.”
Cade rubbed his thumb between Braden’s eyebrows. “He’s
overwhelmed and stressed out, having to tell you everything. When a
headache is starting he gets these tension lines between his brows.”
Nana gave Cade a sweet smile, one that lit up her face. He blinked at
the unexpected acceptance in her eyes. “At first I thought you were being
strangely proprietary, marking your territory, as it were. Then I realized that
you’re just hyper-aware of everything that has to do with my grandson.
You’re extremely gentle with him and I can tell that you’re the type to take
care of him and protect him. So again, I’ll have to beg your forgiveness for
being so rude earlier. I’m scared for him, but that’s no excuse for my
behavior. I hope you can forgive me, because I have a feeling that you’re
going to be in his life for a long time to come.”
Cade smiled widely. “There’s nothing to forgive, Nana. I care more
for him than you know. He’s everything to me.”
Tears came to Nana’s eyes, her voice watery, as she managed a
tremulous smile. “Well, now, that makes me incredibly happy, for you
both.”
The rest of the lunch went smoothly. Nana told stories of Braden
when he was younger and had them all in stitches. Cooper left several
minutes before the check arrived to scope the outside before they headed
out. The thing with having the rental and Braden’s car is that they
constantly had to be checked for any sign of electronic location devices, in
case Eric was tracking their movements. While highly doubtful he was
tracking them with a LoJack or something similar, it was a possibility they
had to check into. They weren’t trying to keep their vehicles a secret, or
hidden in any way, so they had to remain constantly vigilant.
Braden and Cade brought Nana inside her building to ensure she got
home safely. Cade went to move back and give them some private time for
a couple minutes, but she placed her hand on his arm to stop him. She
reached her arms up, and damned if he didn’t feel like a giant next to her
tiny 5’4” frame as he bent down for her proffered hug. “Please, keep him
safe for me.”
“You can count on it, Nana. I’ll guard him with my life.”
 She patted him gently on the cheek. “Take care of yourself, too. He’ll
need you, after this is all said and done.”
Cade grinned and kissed the back of her hand again. “I need him, too.
It was so nice to meet you.”
Nana blushed and smiled and Cade. “You too, Zavier.”
With that, he stepped back and Braden came forward. They said their
goodbyes, and Cade led Braden out to the car. Braden thanked Cade for the
day and they sat holding hands in silence for several minutes. Braden
finally couldn’t wait any longer to ask. “Tell me about McCade Military
Watches.”
Cade told him of that night, years and years ago, when his family was
all sitting around their big kitchen table on some holiday or other, when
they were all in the same house between deployments, which was so very
rare. He explained how everyone in the family had learned about McCade
Watches from the time they were young. At the time, Cade had just begun
his career as Special Forces. His unit had gone on a few missions, and he’d
realized he wanted some kind of watch that was better able to do what he
needed it to do, so he’d been looking, and had found nothing. He brought
that up at the dinner table and a discussion ensued about what everyone
thought was needed from a watch from a military and technical standpoint.
Pretty soon his grandfather and father were talking about how they
could try to come up with something and then his mom joined in. His
mother was a retired electrical engineer, and he had followed in his
mother’s footsteps when he went to West Point to study micro-electrical
engineering. He knew he wanted to be in the Army from a young age, but
his parents had rules about getting an education. They could join the
military, but it was understood that they would not delay their college
education to do it. So he killed two birds with one stone, knowing that upon
graduation from West Point, he’d be required to be on active duty.
His sister was a computer engineer, so she started discussing making
it a sort of “smart watch.” That dinner lasted hours and hours, everyone
having input, everyone writing down ideas, requirements, drawings. He
smiled now, remembering it, how excited everyone was, sitting there
discussing this new idea. They’d always been a close family, but there was
something magical about that night, something that drew them even closer
together.
One of his younger brothers, studying to be a doctor at the time,
mentioned it would be good to be able to have the watch be able to monitor
your heart rate and temperature and also be fully waterproof. His older
brother mentioned it should be secure with thumbprint technology in case
they were stolen or lost. His youngest brother said that the data from the
watches should all be able to be monitored from another location, meaning,
base ops could keep track of that information, real time. Cade wanted there
to be a location device so that troops wearing one could be located, which is
actually the impetus for his development of the tracers that Custos
Securities used and would soon be selling, now that all of the legal patent
issues were dealt with. He also wanted there to be a way to communicate
with his group using code so that while on missions, when splitting up,
they’d be able to let the others know without using a radio what was going
on via their satellite uplink.
He went on to explain that with the military, things are all about time;
when you do something and how quickly you do it. There was always a
need to keep track of timelines on missions. Having his unit split up to do
different portions of a mission would require him to be able to plan the
operation down to the minute, so that everyone was back at the landing
zone on time, and everyone could be safely evacuated. He needed to know
how much time to give each group and had to time each one of them and
plan accordingly so they all ended up at the LZ at the same time, or close to
it.
After everyone had given their input and they’d mapped out how
each of their ideas could possibly be placed into the hardware or software of
the watch, they began the tough work of actually creating multiple
prototypes. Their family was large and they all took to working on it. Even
while on deployments, they were able to keep up with communications and
further development. Once they had their prototypes, they tested them
within their own military units to see how they held up and if they had
included everything they needed to. There were several iterations of the
prototypes as a result of the testing, and they finally were able to come up
with their final military watch prototype. His father, who was a retired
colonel, had enough clout to get their final prototype seen by the upper
echelons in the Army. They offered steep discounts to the military to get
their foot in the door, and the rest was history.
Cade mentioned that the watch Braden had was the Militis watch also
known as the soldier’s watch, which was sold to civilians. The watch
Cooper had was the Bellator watch, also known as the warrior’s watch,
which was sold to the military. The watch that he and his family wore, they
called the Imperator watch, also known as the emperor’s watch, which was
the type only his family wore. Like the military, they had used the Latin
language to name each of their different watch types. He’d carried that
naming convention through to the company he created with Cooper and
they’d named it Custos Securities, using the Latin word for guardian and
protector.
 Braden, having listened raptly to the whole fascinating story, had to
ask, “I can understand not simply retiring on the money from McCade
Watches, as I can’t see you enjoying a life of leisure. But, why go into
security at all? You’re an engineer; why not do that?”
“I became an engineer because I had an aptitude for it; I became a
soldier because I had a passion for it. My parents required us to get a
college education, even if we were joining the military, so I wanted to get it
all done as quickly as possible and choosing West Point was an easy
decision, as I was literally getting education and training at the same time.
Being in the military is about serving your country, but to me, being a
soldier was about protecting our country’s civilians. Our security business is
a continuation of that. I didn’t want to continue in a capacity where there
was more red tape and politics, meaning after the Army, I didn’t want to be
in the FBI, CIA, or be a cop of some kind. That gets old regardless of my
willingness to serve. There came a time, after I’d served for years, when I
felt I wanted to make my own decisions regarding missions and what I
wanted to take on. When I began to feel that way, I knew it was time to
move on.”
Braden had turned in his seat to face Cade while he talked, and he
held Cade’s hand in both of his, idly tracing his fingers along the lines of
Cade’s tattoos. Every time Cade shared something of himself, Braden felt
closer to him. He was feeling more and more at ease with Cade and instead
of constantly comparing him to Eric, or any of his other exes for that matter,
he realized that was a waste of time, as there was simply no comparison.
Cade was nothing like any of them and that thought was so wonderful that
he could feel his remaining walls coming down. He knew that there were
still some issues that they needed to talk about, mainly the conversation that
Cade had wanted to have regarding control, which still made him uneasy,
however, he was willing to have the discussion with Cade and see what he
had to say.

OceanofPDF.com
 The remainder of the day consisted of a lot of resting and watching a
couple of movies. Braden knew that the stress of the last several weeks was
wearing him down, and he had no qualms with spending the rest of the day
doing a whole lot of nothing. After the second movie Braden had fallen
asleep. Cade ensured Braden was comfortable and then made dinner for
them both. He woke Braden up by kissing him on the neck and then on up
to his mouth.
“Mmmm, I like waking up like that, Z.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Braden smiled and then sat up. Cade handed him his testing kit and
watched while he gave himself insulin. Afterwards Cade was the one to
reach out and rub his tummy where he’d given himself the shot. He leaned
forward, caught Braden’s mouth with his again, pulled back and said that
dinner was on the table. He’d made them both huge chicken salads with lots
of veggies. After their lunch of steak and potatoes, they both felt something
light was in order.
After they finished eating, Cade broached the topic that they’d put on
the back burner. “Braden, I know this might be an uncomfortable
discussion, but I think before we go any further into this relationship, we
should have the conversation that worried you so much last night.”
Knowing it had been coming; Braden rubbed his hands back and
forth on his thighs. “You’re probably right. As much as I don’t want to talk
about it, we have to. I’d like to tell you something first, though, if that’s
alright?”
Cade nodded his head and encouraged him to continue, so he took a
deep breath and forced himself to say what was on his mind. “Last night
you told me to trust my instincts and that my instincts led me away from
Eric. You said I needed to stop blaming myself for what happened. I’ve
been thinking about that a lot today, and I know you’re right. I have to make
a conscious decision to trust myself, to put that behind me and to move on. I
need to start living my life again. I realized after we talked that I was doing
what you said, I was letting him win. I’m done letting him win, because I’m
worth so much more than that. So, thank you for pushing me to see what I’d
been doing.”
Cade’s smile grew, and he stood and pulled Braden up to hold him
close. He looked down into Braden’s eyes and pushed his fingers into
Braden’s hair to tilt his head up for his kiss. Braden’s arms slipped around
his waist, and they hugged each other tight.
“Damn, Braden, you’re so fucking strong. You are worth so much
more than that, and I’m so damned proud that you see that now.”
They pulled apart, and Cade clasped his hand and gave it a gentle tug.
“Let’s get comfortable in the other room, so we can talk. That OK?”
When Braden nodded, Cade led him into the living room. Cade sat
first, allowing Braden to choose where to sit. As much as he was happy
Braden hadn’t chosen one of the seats across the room, he had chosen to sit
at the opposite side of the couch, too far away to touch.
Cade sighed inwardly. He knew he’d have to be happy with the
seating arrangement for now. “Can I ask you a few questions and have you
be completely honest with me, even if you don’t really want to tell me the
answers?”
 Braden bit his lip. “OK.”
“When you think of someone taking control, what comes to mind?”
Braden tensed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I think of Eric; of
someone telling me what to do, when to do it, how to do it and why. I think
of someone keeping me away from Maya, of someone making me wear
clothes that I don’t like and going to do things that I don’t want to do.
Someone making me do things sexually that I don’t want to do and how
miserable I was in that type of relationship where someone controlled me.”
Cade ached to be able to touch Braden. “That sounds more like
abuse, than control. More like neglect, than responsibility. Let me ask you
this. Yesterday, what were the things you didn’t like about our day? Were
there things you wouldn’t want to do again?”
Braden smiled and answered without pause. “No. It was one of the
best days of my life, Z. Even when we came home and had a
misunderstanding, and even when I told you everything about what Eric
did, even with all of that, I felt like I was being more honest with you about
everything than I’d ever been with anyone and that felt wonderful.”
“Can you tell me what it was that made it good for you? And what
was it about our discussion last night that felt wonderful?”
A peaceful smile came over Braden’s face as he explained himself.
“I’ve never been treated like I was yesterday. From the second I woke up,
you were taking care of me and it was such a relaxing and fun day. I loved
that you had everything planned for us. I didn’t worry about anything; I just
went with it and enjoyed it. I loved that you put so much thought into
everything we did. I think the conversation we had last night helped me turn
a corner. I was able to tell you everything that I’d never told anyone. You
didn’t blame me or judge me. I can’t say that I don’t still feel a little scared
about my own instincts, but I feel more like I can begin to trust myself
again.”
Cade relaxed into the couch, some of the stress leaving him. “It
makes me very happy to know you feel that way. Did Eric take you
somewhere special that you liked?”
Braden scrunched up his nose. “Well, he used to take me to this really
nice restaurant in town. We went there several times. They had good food.”
Cade couldn’t help the smile that slipped over his face. “From the
look on your face and the way you said that, it doesn’t sound like you really
liked it there.”
Braden grunted. “Not really. I wouldn’t have ever picked it. It was
pretentious. At first I think he was trying to impress me, later I think he was
trying to impress others.”
Cade’s brow rose. “So, he didn’t pay attention to your wants and
needs.”
Braden crossed his arms back over his chest. “No, he didn’t. He also
he controlled what I did and what I wore.”
Cade tilted his head, thinking over Braden’s defensive response. “It
sounds like he manipulated you into doing everything his way, and
intimidated you into becoming someone you weren’t. Does that sound
accurate?”
Braden’s looked down. His hands fell to his lap and he picked at the
hem of his pants. “I… I guess so, yeah. I always thought of it as him
controlling me, but what you’re saying is true.”
Cade nearly got up to pull Braden over into his lap, but restrained
himself. He wanted Braden to come to him, needed it. “Do you feel that
anything he did to you or with you was for your benefit?”
 Braden seemed to give the question serious thought and then sighed.
“No, never. I’m embarrassed actually, that I never realized that in the
beginning, but he was good at making me feel like things were for me,
when they never were.”
Cade nodded his head, glad that Braden could see the truth. “And
comparatively, do you feel I do that as well? Think about this hard before
you answer, and don’t for a second think about telling me what I want to
hear. Do you feel that I manipulate you, or situations, to make them feel like
they are for your benefit, but they are truly only for mine?”
Braden sat staring at Cade, his brows drawn together. “No. I don’t
think you do that at all. I think you’ve always had my best interests at heart,
even from that first night and my migraine. I just don’t want someone
taking control of my choices and telling me what to do, what to wear, and
who to spend time with.”
Cade’s brow rose. “Are any of those things in your best interest?”
Braden scowled. “No, they’re not.”
Cade’s expression softened, knowing Braden was frustrated with the
conversation. “So keeping that in mind, with my track record with you, do
you think that I would ever do those things?”
A pained look crossed Braden’s features. “I don’t know. I don’t think
so, but you said you wanted to control me, and I don’t like that.”
Cade’s heart ached for his boy. “I can understand that. I think we’re
coming from two very different places when it comes to the definition of
control, and I’m not saying you’re right or wrong. When I asked you if
you’d allow me some measure of control over you and your pleasure, I
meant that I wanted to control the pace, ensure your needs were met, so that
you could let go and trust that I would give you pleasure.”
 Cade shrugged and tried to make sure Braden understood how he felt.
“You mentioned last night that you had always wanted to trust someone to
push your limits sexually, to dominate you, in the bedroom. You never had
your needs met, in that way. I have those same desires, Braden, and I don’t
think you are a kink freak; if anything, when you admitted that last night, it
made perfect sense to me. I have the desire to dominate, while you have the
desire to submit.”
Cade tilted his head, his gaze penetrating. He knew if he said the
wrong thing right now, he could lose Braden completely. “Once we’re able
to trust each other implicitly, I think we’ll be able to explore our mutual
desires. I would love nothing more than to show you how a real Dominant
and submissive relationship can be. Eric was an abuser, plain and simple. A
true D/s relationship, if done properly, is fully controlled by the sub. That
may seem contradictory, but the sub sets their limits and the Dom has to
work within those agreed upon boundaries. I want to try that with you,
Braden. But, if you never want to explore with me, in that way, that’s OK
with me. I will respect that it’s a hard limit and it won’t be brought up
again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Braden looked down at his hands in his lap and nodded.
“Please look at me.” Cade waited patiently and Braden finally met his
gaze. “I need to hear the words.”
“Y...” Braden cleared his throat and tried again. “Yes. I understand. I
just don’t know if that’s something I’ll ever be interested in after what I
went through.”
Cade smiled sadly. “I understand that. When we get to a point where
we can talk about it again, and you’ve thought about it some more, if you
still don’t want to explore your sexual boundaries, than that’s the last we’ll
speak of it. But in regards to my request to take control with you, to take
responsibility for you, I’d like to tell you more about what I meant, OK?”
Braden nodded again and then realized what he’d done and looked
Cade in the eye. “Yes, it’s OK.”
Cade was happy that Braden understood his need for a direct answer.
He was itching to pull him into his arms and hold him tight, but he held
himself in check, for Braden’s sake. “First of all, I didn’t mean that I
wanted to control your life, to take your choices away. You say you hate it
when people take control, and yet, you said you had one of the best days of
your life yesterday. Braden, I controlled the whole day, from start to finish.”
Cade smiled. “When I think of taking control with you, it’s all about
making sure your needs are met. If I asked you, ‘When was the last time
someone took care of you?’ You’d probably tell me that it was when you
were a child. I don’t want that to be the case.”
Cade moved his arm to the back of the couch and rested his head on
his hand. “Maya told me you don’t like driving, so I drove. I ordered your
meals because you’d told me some of your favorite foods. You told me you
love to be adventurous and active and that you love old movies. I remember
everything you’ve ever told me about yourself. I planned out the day
because I wanted you to be happy. Making decisions stresses you out and I
didn’t want you to worry about anything.
“I think of control as taking responsibility. I feel like you need
someone to share your burdens. You have a lot of stressors with work and
your health. The first night I met you, Maya mentioned that you stress
internally about everything. She said later that the anxiety makes your
blood sugar spike, which causes you to adjust your insulin doses and
occasionally the stress and insulin adjustments can cause migraines. I want
to take on those responsibilities that stress you out, cause the anxiety
attacks, and the migraines.”
Cade lowered his hand to the back of the couch. He leaned forward,
in earnest, doing his best to convey his feelings. “Eric wanted to change
you. He manipulated, intimidated and abused you to make that happen. I
wouldn’t change a damned thing about who you are. If there’s something
I’m trying to control and you don’t like it, you tell me, and I’ll stop. It’s not
my goal to change things about your job, your clothing, or your friends. I
only want to take on your stressors and burdens so that you don’t have to.”
Braden sat there in silence, trying to take all of this in. He finally
asked the only thing he could think of to ask. “But why? Why in the hell
would you want to take on my stress? Why would you want to take
responsibility for my burdens? It makes no sense to me. You have your own
burdens, your own stress. Why take that on?”
Cade’s face relaxed and gave Braden a soft smile. “There are a lot of
reasons, but the biggest of them, Braden, is because I love you.”
Braden’s breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened in disbelief.
“You… What?”
Cade let out a soft sigh and repeated himself, so that Braden was left
with no doubts. “I love you, Braden. It happened ridiculously fast, and I’m
still wrapping my head around it, but that doesn’t change the truth of it. I’ve
fallen in love with you, so I want the best for you.”
A tear slipped down Braden’s cheek, but he didn’t say anything in
response. He had no words and was so completely overwhelmed that all he
could do was stare at Cade, dumbfounded.
A little afraid of what he saw in Braden’s eyes, Cade hurried on to
say, “You were so carefree yesterday, so utterly relaxed. That’s how I want
to see you, every day. I think that some people are made to take stressors
and manage them. It’s where I thrive, it makes me stronger and it’s how I
tick. You struggle with it because your body needs you to be on an even
keel, or it backfires on you and makes you sick. I know you love to run, but
maybe you don’t have to run 10-15 miles a day to relieve your stress.
Maybe having my help will, I don’t know, allow you to fucking breathe,
help you to thrive. It’s not a magic pill, it won’t fix everything, but it will
make me happy and hopefully do the same for you. That’s all I want. For
you to be….”
Cade cut himself off when Braden abruptly got up from his side of
the couch, a glazed look in his eyes, pupils blown, and took jerky steps
towards him. Cade reached for him, panicked that he’d said the wrong
thing. “Baby, what’s… oomph.”
Braden practically leapt onto his lap in a rush, taking Cade’s lips with
his own, kissing him so hard their teeth clashed. Cade gently pulled Braden
back, hands on either side of his head. Braden whimpered and Cade’s face
grew serious. “What’s this? Shhh, it’s OK. I’ll give you what you need; you
have to know that by now.”
With that, Cade brought Braden close again, one hand in his hair,
guiding him, the other on Braden’s ass, pulling him in. They kissed for
several minutes, deep, passionate, voracious kisses; Braden, desperate to
share his feelings in that way, Cade, desperate to receive them.
Braden finally pulled away, and whispered, “Take control.”

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade was afraid he’d heard things incorrectly. His head was in a hazy
fog of horny bliss that had his blood pumping and his heart beating out of
his chest. “What?”
“Take control of me and my pleasure, just like you said. Do what you
wanted to do last night.”
“But…”
“No, no buts, please. I need it, I need you.”
Braden met his eyes and what Cade saw in them had his hands
gripping Braden’s thighs and his cock leaping to attention. He stood,
reaching around and grabbing Braden’s ass with both hands. “Wrap your
legs around me.”
Once Braden had latched on, Cade was headed to Braden’s bedroom
before the other man could say another word. Braden almost laughed at the
absurdity of being carried as he was, but after looking into Cade’s eyes, all
thoughts of amusement fled, and he caught his breath at the intensity he saw
there.
Cade kneaded Braden’s ass and when he heard the little groan
coming from his boy, he pulled Braden’s head back by his hair to expose his
throat and began to kiss and suck that gorgeous column of skin. Braden
moaned and squeezed his legs tighter around Cade’s hips, causing him to
stop in his tracks and turn so that he pushed Braden against the wall.
 Sliding his fingers into Braden’s hair at the nape of his neck, he
began a slow journey of licks and kisses from his neck to his lips. Braden’s
hands gripped his arms, fingers digging into his triceps, as if grasping for
purchase. Braden rolled his hips, creating a friction that caused Cade to
growl deep in his throat.
Cade pushed harder against him, using the wall to keep Braden in
place. He released Braden’s long hair and brought his hands down to the top
button of his shirt. They both exhaled in a rush as Cade made quick work of
Braden’s buttons. Braden yanked the shirt over his head, taking his
undershirt with it and tossed them both on the floor. Cade grunted in
satisfaction and Braden smiled. Pure need flashed through Cade. Gripping
Braden’s ass again, he pulled them both away from the wall and made it to
Braden’s bedroom. He lowered Braden to his feet beside the bed and made
quick work of his own button up shirt, leaving only his ribbed tank top.
Braden feasted his eyes upon Cade, but realized something was
missing and he couldn’t go any further until he fixed it. Cade reached for
him again, and he backed up a step. “Z, wait.”
The look of surprise and then something that might have been shame
passed over Cade’s features, so quickly, Braden almost missed it. Before he
could say anything, Cade stepped back, rubbed his hands over his hair, his
voice strained. “Fuck, Braden. I’m moving too fast aren’t I? I’m sorry. The
last thing I want to do is scare you. I don’t know what I was thinking. This
is the first time you’ve been with anyone since…. Fuck... What’s wrong
with me? We can stop completely, or I’ll go slow. Whatever you want. I’m
sorry, baby.”
Braden smiled and covered Cade’s lips to stop the runaway
apologies. “Z, just stop. Look at me. I love every single thing you were
doing to me. I’ve never felt so desired. I could see it written all over your
face and feel it in your touch. It was perfect. You were perfect.”
When Braden lowered his hand, Cade sighed, grateful he hadn’t
completely fucked everything up. “Then why….”
Braden’s face grew serious, emotion etched across his face.
“Because, I never said it and I want to, before we get started and can’t stop.
I want you to know first.”
Cade reached for Braden and pulled him closer. “Anything, baby, you
can tell me anything.”
Braden took a deep breath, a look of such tenderness in his eyes that
Cade’s heart melted. “I love you, Zavier McCade. I’m in love with you.”
Cade stopped moving, stopped breathing, and just looked down at
Braden for several heartbeats, wanting to remember this moment, have it
etched in his memory. “Say it again.”
Braden’s smile had never looked so sweet. “I love you, Z.”
Cade crushed Braden to him, desperate to feel him, desperate to hold
him. He placed both of his hands on Braden’s face, and gazed deep into his
eyes, his movements slow and gentle now, and bent down to kiss him softly
on the lips. He brushed his lips over Braden’s, back and forth, and then just
held his gaze as he kissed Braden a bit deeper, finally allowing his eyes to
close. He enjoyed the feelings, taking his lower lip between both of his and
licking along its pouty surface. He let the kiss continue, languidly, just
tasting and learning his beautiful mouth.
Trailing his hands down Braden’s smooth, defined chest, he ran the
backs of his fingers over his stomach, reveling in Braden’s soft whimper.
He slipped his hands around Braden’s back, caressing, and slowly inched
his way down over Braden’s luscious ass cheeks to the backs of his thighs,
taking his weight, and inch by deliberate inch slid Braden’s body up along
his until Braden’s thighs were once again gripping his hips.
Cade slowly got down on his knees on the bed, legs spread wide. He
released his hold on Braden, who was still wrapped around him like a little
monkey, and began a sensual assault on Braden’s skin, caressing every inch
of his body. The more Braden trembled and whimpered, the softer and more
torturous Cade’s touches became, all the while continuing to kiss him, more
deeply now, using tongue and teeth.
Finally, moving his hand to Braden’s lower back, he leaned forward
and placed his other hand on the bed, gently easing Braden’s body down on
the bed. Straightening up and leaning over Braden, they looked at each
other hungrily and then Cade smiled down at Braden, bringing out a smile
from him in return. Braden reached up to Cade’s sides and began to pull his
tank top up his torso slowly, his enjoyment more evident with each slow
inch of flesh he revealed.
Cade sat back on his knees again and reached behind his head and
gripped his shirt, ripping it off and tossing it aside. He was about to grab
onto Braden again when Braden made a soft sound of dismay and Cade
found his gaze resting on his scarred chest and then his arms, finding more
scars. Braden was finally close enough to see the damage to his body that
his clothes and most of his tattoos usually covered, at first glance. All of a
sudden, Braden was somewhat frantically unbuckling Cade’s belt and with
Cade’s help, pulling off Cade’s pants, looking at the scars and tattoos on his
thighs and lower legs.
A tear slipped down his cheek and the tortured look in his eyes set
Cade’s heart racing. This wasn’t what he’d wanted their first time to be like.
He tipped Braden’s face up. “No, baby, none of that. I’m fine, it’s done,
over. This is just what comes from the type of life I’ve lived.”
 “You have so many tattoos. Is every tattoo covering a scar?” His
hands shook as they traced some of the scars. “So many, Zavier.”
Cade reached for Braden and pulled him gently into his arms. “No. I
have a lot of scars; I won’t sugar coat it. Shrapnel and other things
associated with wartime wreak havoc on a body; and yes, that’s why I
started tattooing myself in the beginning. But, I love my ink, and I wanted
more, so I continued to get them. I decided a long time ago I wanted the art
to tell a story, not my scars. I promise not only to tell you about the tattoos,
but about the scars as well. Please, don’t let this stop what we were doing. I
need to be with you, Braden, please.”
Braden took a deep breath and let it out. He scrubbed his hands over
his face and nodded. He looked up into Cade’s eyes and smiled. Feeling
calm and finally looking past the tattoos and ink, he zeroed in on Cade’s
body and his own body got warmer, his face heated.
Cade saw the change in Braden, the flushing of his cheeks, the blown
pupils, reflecting his own arousal. He leaned over and bent down to kiss
Braden’s lips, his cheek, his jawline, his neck, inching down his sculpted
chest to lick the flat disc of his nipple. At the contact of a tongue on that
particular area of skin, Braden let out a hiss as Cade continued until both of
Braden’s nipples were hard points that Cade took, one at a time, between
his lips and teeth, causing Braden to squirm. Cade chuckled darkly.
“Sensitive. So fucking sensitive to my touch.”
After one last nip, hard enough to send a shocking zing of arousal
from that nipple straight to his cock, Braden’s hips shot off the bed and
nudged into Cade’s, who growled low in his throat. “That’s it. I want every
reaction. Don’t hold anything back from me, Bray.”
Braden moaned as Cade continued down his ribs to his tummy and
swirled his tongue around his belly button, causing him to gasp. Holy fuck,
he’d never known that was an erogenous zone for him. At the gasp, Cade
swirled again and then a third time causing Braden to whimper and writhe.
“That’s right, baby. Squirm for me.”
Nipping down Braden’s happy trail, he reached the button of his
pants and popped it with a flick of a thumb. He pulled at the zipper, ever so
slowly, as he kept his eyes on Braden, who had tilted himself up to watch
Cade. Grasping Braden’s pants at his hips, he slowly slid them down his
legs, kissing each inch of skin as it was revealed. He tossed them aside and
took a slow meandering glance up Braden’s body. He was slim but he was
well built and was filling out his boxer briefs to perfection. Meeting
Braden’s eyes and seeing his own lust reflected back at him, he leaned over
and spoke in a hushed tone. “My mouth is watering for you.”
At that, Braden groaned, raised his hands to cover his face, landing
back on the bed. “You’re gonna kill me with all this dirty talk. I’ve never
been so fucking turned on.”
Cade leaned down and laved at Braden’s cock, through his boxers.
He breathed in deeply and groaned. “Gotta get these off of you so I can lick
what smells so good.”
He pulled Braden’s boxers over his erection, watched it pop free and
practically land on his lips. He grunted. “Fuck, look at you. So beautiful. So
ready for me.”
He grasped Braden’s fat cock in his hand and tightened his grip on
the upstroke as he licked his well-groomed sac, causing Braden’s hips to
arch off the bed. Hearing Braden moan softly, he encouraged him. “Let me
hear you.”
He kissed up Braden’s cock, open mouthed kisses on the way to his
cockhead and licked his slit, tasting his pre-cum. “You taste better than I’d
imagined.”
 He couldn’t wait any longer. He opened his mouth wide and took
Braden’s cock deep into his mouth, and when Braden groaned loudly and
jutted his hips up to meet him, Cade moaned deep in his throat and
tightened his hold. Braden shouted. “Oh fuck! Fuck yes!”
Braden moved his hips like pistons, his cock slammed in and out of
Cade’s mouth, and Cade loved every second of it, opening his mouth wider,
relaxing his throat, taking him deep. He allowed Braden to fuck his mouth
for several more strokes, but he didn’t want it to end too quickly, so he
stilled Braden’s hips with his hands, pulled off of him, and chuckled as
Braden groaned in frustration. “Not yet. I’m not letting you finish that
quickly. Christ look at you, so greedy. Where’s your slick?”
Braden pointed to his nightstand, his breath heaving in and out of his
chest. He reached down to stroke his own cock, but Cade stopped him.
“Mm-mmm, don’t even think about it. That’s mine. Look at me.”
Braden didn’t immediately comply. Cade grinned as a realized
Braden’s brain wasn’t sending messages quite as quickly as it normally did.
Cade let a few more beats pass, enjoying watching his man come back into
his own head. “Braden, look at me.”
When Braden finally came out of his haze enough to comply, he met
Cade’s eyes and smiled. Cade chuckled. “No touching yourself, baby. It’ll
end too soon, and I need to be inside of you when you come.”
Braden sighed, his body still humming from Cade’s ministrations. He
watched as Cade pulled down his boxer briefs. He lost that smile and his
breath as his eyes popped wide. “Fucking hell, Z! There’s no way that
monster cock is going to fit!”
Cade’s deep laugh did nothing to alleviate Braden’s misgivings, and
his jaw stayed lax as Cade crawled back on the bed, lying on top of Braden
and making him groan and hook a leg behind one of Cade’s. Holding
himself up on his forearms to avoid crushing Braden, Cade tried to explain
it away. “Bray, I’m 6’6” and I weigh about 265 pounds. I’m proportionate.”
Braden laughed in disbelief and covered his face with his hands.
“He’s proportionate he says…. Jesus H… OK, well let’s put it this way, my
asshole is proportionate, which means we are gonna have issues.”
Nuzzling Braden’s throat, making him shiver and laughing despite
the panicked edge lacing Braden’s voice, he lifted his head from Braden’s
neck. “Bray, look at me. Come on, look at me. There you go. We don’t have
to do a damned thing tonight, other than give each other hand jobs, blow
jobs, or just have a hot frotting session. I can even bottom, if you don’t want
me inside of you yet.”
Braden was completely shocked by that last bit. “You’d bottom for
me?”
“I’ve only done it a couple times, but let me ask you something, my
size aside. Do you want to feel me inside of you?”
Braden’s eyes popped wide, again. “Are you kidding me? Of course I
do! I practically couldn’t wait, until I saw that monster you’re packing!”
Cade swept his fingers into Braden’s hair and massaged his scalp,
trying to ease Braden’s sudden tension. “So why would I be any different? I
haven’t bottomed since I was learning what sex was all about in my teens,
but you can bet your sexy ass that I want to feel you inside of me,
eventually. How could I not? We can take some time to prepare you for me,
if you still want to try some other time.”
Braden’s brows drew together in concern. “Zavier, I’ve never topped,
and I wanted you inside of me tonight. I still do. I ache for you, I just don’t
know how it will work, and I’m not even joking. You’re huge. It scares
me.”
 Cade smoothed out the lines of worry between Braden’s brows. “Do
you trust me?”
“With my life, you know that.”
“Then trust me with your body, I won’t hurt you, and I’ll stop the
second you tell me to. Let go and allow me to own your pleasure tonight.”
Cade smiled wide. “Now, stop topping from the bottom. I’m in control of
you, remember?”
Braden chuckled, his voice filled with snark. “Yes, Master Z. Do I
need a safeword?”
Cade laughed. “Not yet, smartass.” He dug his fingers into Braden’s
sides, hitting him in just the right spot to make him yell out and laugh as he
tried to squirm away from those tickling fingers.
Out of breath, Braden wriggled. “OK, OK! Shit, no more!”
Cade stopped his movements and brought himself flush with Braden
again, rubbing his sex against Braden’s flagging erection, waking him back
up. He sobered when he earned a groan and felt Braden’s hips flex, and
whispered so softly in Braden’s ear, he almost missed it. “I’m gonna make
you come so hard you’ll see stars.”
Braden moaned. “Please.”
“Do you have any condoms? It’s been awhile for me, but I was tested
three months ago and haven’t been with anyone since. I can show you the
test results.”
Braden had completely forgotten to discuss this part of it, and his
breath caught. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting…. I don’t have any, but I got
tested right after I ended it with Eric and then again six months later. I’m
disease free, and I can show you my results as well. Tomorrow? I need you
right now. I want to feel you come inside of me.”
 “Yes, tomorrow.” Cade nuzzled Braden’s neck again. “And, you’ll
get everything you want tonight, Braden, I’ll see to it.”
Braden’s cock got even harder at those words, and he raised his hips
to rub against Cade and groaned at the feeling of his fevered skin. Braden
could feel Cade pulling away from him as he reached over to get the lube
out of the drawer. The movement put one of Cade’s nipple rings right near
Braden’s mouth, and he couldn’t resist. He flicked the ring with his tongue
and was rewarded with a grunt and Cade’s hips thrusting against his own.
Cade cursed under his breath, his voice a low rumble. “You little tease, do
that again, but take it into your mouth this time and suck it like you mean
it.”
Braden’s eyes practically rolled back into his head at Cade’s words.
Holy fuck this guy knew how to talk him into a frenzy of lust. He might put
money on Cade being able to talk him into an orgasm at this point. Doing
what he was bid, he pulled in that nipple ring with enough suction that he
knew he’d have begged for mercy, had it been him, and then he flicked it at
the same time and all of a sudden Cade’s weight dropped on him and he
was curling his hips against Braden’s, their cocks hard against one another,
dripping pre-cum and becoming slippery.
He kept up his suction and flick routine and Cade groaned, grabbed
Braden’s cock in his hand, aligning his own with it and then Braden nearly
lost his mind when Cade squeezed their cocks together, fisting them both
tightly as he whispered, “You wanna come like this? Keep doing what
you’re doing and we’ll both come, just like this, all over each other. Bite me
there, and I’ll shoot off like a rocket right now. Oh, fuck, baby, you’re so
good at that.”
Braden was drunk on lust, but not so much that he wanted it to end
like this. He lightened up on the suction, quit flicking the ring, and lay
there. He panted and looked up at Cade, as Cade looked down, breathing
just as hard, but he slowed the movements of his hips and eased off with his
fist. They both looked into each other’s eyes while they recovered and Cade
nuzzled his nose into Braden’s hair. “Didn’t want to come like that?”
Braden shook his head and one of Cade’s big hands grabbed Braden’s
ass, his fingers dipping in the crease, eliciting a shiver from his boy. “You
wanna come with me buried deep inside of you, pumping you full of my
seed?”
Braden’s breath hitched. He moaned, but managed to nod his head,
yes. Cade smiled. “Good. That’s how I want to come, deep inside of you,
while you clench your ass around my cock when you come.”
Before Braden could think of a response, Cade inched his way down
Braden’s body. He kissed and licked his way down to Braden’s cock and
wedged himself between Braden’s thighs, pushing them up and out, to make
room for his broad shoulders. Cade gripped Braden’s thick rod in his hand
and pumped it several times. He licked the tip and took the head in his
mouth, then swallowed him deeper. He cupped Braden’s sac in his hand,
squeezed and massaged it softly and drew Braden all the way in. He began
a slow rhythm, took Braden all the way in and pulled back until the head
was at his lips, all the while keeping suction.
Braden’s hips began to pump in a steady rhythm, and he moaned and
reached down to run his fingers over Cade’s hair. Cade continued on like
that while he reached for the tube of slick and lubed up his fingers. With his
other hand, he gripped Braden’s cock at the base and twisted on the
upstroke while continuing suction. He eased a slick finger gently to
Braden’s ass, pressing softly, repeatedly until he heard Braden moaning. He
pressed on his muscle and felt a small amount of resistance before he was
let in.
 He pressed in and out, in and out of Braden’s ass, mimicking what his
cock would soon be doing. He kept on sucking on Braden’s cock as he
slowly added a second finger and spent some time moving them in and out,
pleasuring Braden slowly with his fingers as he sucked his cock deep. His
slow pumping movements with those fingers gave way to scissoring them
to prepare Braden for his size. Keeping a slow pace he finally added a third
finger and he heard Braden shout out when he nudged his prostate at that
angle. “Listen to you. You love this.”
He would nudge it just enough to send zings of pleasure up Braden’s
spine, but then back off before he lost control and came. Again and again he
built Braden up, only to back him off, using orgasm control and denial to
get Braden ready. “Your ass is so greedy for more. I’m going to give you
what you need.”
He finally deemed Braden ready for him. He brought him almost to
the brink one final time and before he edged him back again, he got himself
in place and slicked up and slid the head of his cock inside of Braden before
he knew what had happened. He pressed still deeper and Braden moaned
and bucked underneath him. He leaned down to Braden, whose eyes were
closed tight, breath heaving. “Fuck, you feel good. Tell me if it hurts, baby.”
Braden’s eyes popped wide open at that guttural voice, and he
clamped down on Cade in response, eliciting a ragged groan from the
bigger man. Braden’s senses were on overload and he knew Cade wasn’t
even halfway in. His breath came faster, and he met Cade’s eyes. Cade
knew immediately that Braden was starting to worry, and he soothed him by
pushing a hand through his long hair and holding his head in place, while he
talked to him. “You’re doing so good. Don’t tense up. Feel me inside of
you. Make room for me inside of you. Relax your muscles and bear down a
little bit for me.”
 Cade pulled out a fraction and eased in a bit more. “That’s it. So
good. Relax your whole body for me. Breathe in and out slowly. You’ve got
me. Oh, fuck, Braden, you feel so amazing. You’re so tight. So fucking
tight.”
Cade repeated the process, pulling out incrementally and easing in
even further. He was more than halfway in, and Braden had finally started
to push back against him for more. He still gripped Braden’s hair with one
hand, but now, with his other, he reached between them and gripped
Braden’s swollen, hard cock and began to stroke him, slowly at first and
then a bit faster. Using that pleasure as a catalyst, he eased himself in even
further, laid his forehead to Braden’s and ground out, “Almost there.
Almost. God, baby, you’re doing so good. Taking me so deep.”
Braden couldn’t take it any longer. He moved his legs around and up
Cade’s thighs so that his heels dug into Cade’s ass and when he felt Cade
try to inch himself just a small bit further into him, he used his heels to push
him in all the way. Braden’s breath caught in pain, and he yelled out, “Oh,
FUCK!” He went completely still, tears building in his eyes, breathing fast
and hard.
Cade stopped moving completely and cursed under his breath. “Baby,
why? I was taking my time. Tell me when you’re ready and I’ll pull out.
Dammit, Bray, I didn’t want to hurt you!”
Mad at himself for pushing too far, too fast and at Braden for forcing
the issue, Cade’s heart hammered in his chest, his muscles locked up tight.
He lowered his head down beside Braden’s, and he felt Braden clasp the
back of his head lightly, skimming his hands over his hair, and bringing a
hand down to cup his face. At the slight pressure, he lifted his head up to
look at Braden and was surprised by the gentle smile there. Braden brought
Cade down for a slow kiss, one that he drew out with slow easy
movements, both of them careful not to move any other part of their bodies.
Cade was about to apologize again, but at the shake of Braden’s head,
he kept quiet and just waited for him to talk. Finally, Braden took a deep
breath. “I couldn’t wait. It only hurt for a few seconds, and now I just feel
so fucking full. Don’t you dare pull out, after all this work!”
Cade huffed out a soft laugh and pressed his forehead against
Braden’s. “God, I love you. Tell me when you’re ready for me to move.”
“Oh, god, yes, please move.”
Cade didn’t ask twice, knowing that if Braden asked him, then he was
ready. He slowly slid himself part of the way out and then slowly back in.
They both groaned. Again Cade pulled out, this time pushing back in a bit
faster, and again, all the while whispering to Braden. “You feel so good. So
tight.”
He leaned back a bit to get a better angle for Braden and from his
hoarse moan, Cade knew he’d hit Braden’s prostate. He pushed in again at
that angle and pulled back out, reached down and grasped Braden’s hard
cock and began thrusting in at the same time he was on his upward stroke.
Braden’s hips were moving faster now and he whimpered. “Oh god. So
good, Z. That feels so good!”
Cade kept up a punishing pace. The tight grip he had on Braden’s
cock caused his words to become moans. Braden reached down and
grabbed onto Cade’s pistoning hips as he pumped his own up to meet
Cade’s hard, fast thrusts. Cade had never felt anything like it. He’d never
been in such a tight, hot sheath, and he was getting close to losing it
completely, but wouldn’t even think of it until Braden had come. He knew
Braden was close, so he tipped his pelvis just a bit further upwards, grasped
Braden’s cock harder, twisted on the upstroke and ordered, “Look at me,
baby. That’s it. You’re ready. I want you to let go. Let go and come for me.”
That’s all Braden had needed, permission to let go. Cade watched as
the words released a hold Braden had kept on himself. He lost it, his come
shooting out onto his stomach, his chest, even his neck and Cade had never
seen anything so beautiful as Braden, head thrown back in pleasure as he
shouted out his release, his body a paroxysm of ecstasy. Each spasm
resulting in a tighter rhythmic grip of Braden’s ass on his cock had Cade’s
own orgasm tingling in his spine, zinging down through his body and
erupting from his dick, pulse after pulse, deep into Braden. He let go of
Braden’s now spent cock, and he let out a deep growl of his own and caught
himself on his forearms, just before he let his full weight fall on Braden.
Braden was having none of that and tugged at Cade’s elbows until his
arms were flat and his body fully rested upon his lover. Braden’s arms and
legs both curled around Cade, and his whole body shook in satisfied spasms
that he couldn’t have stopped if he’d wanted to.
Cade put his arm under Braden’s lower back, his other tangling in his
long hair at the nape of his neck and was just about to turn them both over
when Braden shook his head and whispered, “Please, don’t.”
Cade gripped Braden’s neck. “Don’t what, baby?”
Braden let out a whimper and tightened his legs around Cade’s hips.
“Don’t pull out. Not yet. Not ready yet. Need you still.” The words were
muffled by Cade’s shoulder and he could feel Braden shake his head and
grip him harder to keep him from pulling away.
Feeling such tenderness for his man, Cade clasped him tighter as well
and whispered sweetly, “I’m not, Bray, I’m just going to roll us over so that
you’re on top. I don’t want to suffocate you. I’ll stay inside of you as long
as you want me there.”
 He pulled Braden into him, holding him tightly so that they wouldn’t
be pulled apart from each other as he flipped them over, realizing only then
that he was close to the foot of the bed. He reached up towards the pillows
and pulled the comforter over them both, as Braden’s spasms had morphed
into shivers.
Braden rested his head on Cade’s chest. “You’re still hard. How is
that even possible?”
Cade’s fingers shifted through Braden’s soft hair. “Only half hard,
which is normal for me. You still feel so good, so tight and hot around me.
I’ve never come so hard in my life.”
Braden hummed in agreement. “Me, either. I didn’t see stars, like you
promised, but my vision completely blacked out on me for a few seconds.”
Cade chuckled. “Well, I guess I have a goal for next time.”
Braden burrowed in. “Next time will have to wait. I can barely
move.”
“Good. I don’t want you to.” Cade ran his hands up and down
Braden’s replete form, he couldn’t stop touching what was his. “Rest a
while. Right where you are.”
They both lay there for some time, half dozing, half caressing and
kissing tenderly until Cade softened fully. At that point he rolled Braden
back over and went to the bathroom to get a warm wash cloth. He brought it
back and cleaned Braden up to make sure he was comfortable for the night.
He walked back into the bathroom to clean himself off and noticed Braden’s
testing kit, which he brought back to bed, getting out what Braden needed.
He rubbed Braden’s arm and nudged him back awake. “Baby, you need to
test before we go to sleep.”
Reluctantly, Braden sat up and tested, gave himself a shot and was
about to lay back down when he realized he hadn’t brushed his teeth and
said as much to Cade, who had been cleaning up their clothes, strewn about
the room. Cade headed into the guest room to brush his teeth and Braden
ended up following him after a minute of indecision. He walked into the
bathroom and caught Cade just as he was about to lift up the toilet seat to
take a piss. He turned bright red and stammered, “Shit, I’m sorry. I should
have knocked.”
He tried to hightail it out of there, but he didn’t get far, as Cade
caught his arm before he could leave, pressed his naked ass up against the
cold bathroom counter and kissed the stew out of him before he pulled
slowly away. “Don’t be embarrassed at finding me like this. I’m not. It
won’t be the last time and it doesn’t bother me. What did you come in here
to say?”
After that kiss, he could barely remember his name and almost
admitted as much, until it came back to him, “Oh, I was just going to see,
um, you know….”
Cade smiled, loving this shy side of his lover. He nudged himself
closer and crowded into Braden. “What, baby?”
Braden spoke in a rush, before he lost his nerve. “Um, do you want to
move your bags and toiletries into my room while you’re here, so you don’t
have to keep going back and forth?”
Cade’s grin reached epic proportions. “Bray, are you asking me to
move in with you?”
At Braden’s shocked look, all wide eyes and stammering mumbles,
Cade laughed and pulled Braden into a tight embrace. “I’m teasing you,
baby. And the answer is yes, to anything, to everything.”
Braden softened against him and hugged him back fiercely before
darting shyly back to his room to get ready for bed. He was just washing his
hands in one of the sinks when Cade walked in wearing a fresh pair of royal
blue tight boxer briefs, all sexy as fuck and drool-worthy, carrying his dopp
kit. He left it on the bathroom countertop, kissed Braden on the back of the
head and went back to the guestroom. He returned five minutes later
carrying his roughed up, army issue duffle bag on his shoulder and looked
at Braden questioningly. Braden walked into his closet and cleared a space
on the floor. “Do you want me to clear out some space; a drawer, some
hangers or something?”
Cade glanced up from the spot where he’d kneeled as he unzipped his
bag, and couldn’t help but smile at Braden’s blush. “No. I hung up a few
things in your closet in the other room. I’ll bring them over and hang them
in here. Everything else can stay in the bag. I’m used to living out of this
thing.”
Braden nodded and walked back into the bedroom. Cade went back
to the other room and returned with a few hung items of clothing and put
them in the closet. Braden was just about to pull a shirt over his head when
he felt Cade tug at it. “Don’t. I want to feel your chest against mine
tonight.”
They both crawled into bed, wearing their boxer briefs, but nothing
else. Braden turned off the nightstand lamp, and Cade gathered Braden
close. “I’m assuming you’d like to run, since we haven’t all weekend.”
“Yeah, would like to get three to five miles in tomorrow morning,
after I get some stuff baked.”
Cade grabbed his watch from the nightstand that sat beside his
handgun, and set his watch to 5 a.m. Braden tossed one of his legs across
Cade’s hip, and Cade grabbed him behind the knee and dragged Braden on
top of him so that their hips were aligned, and yanked the duvet up over
Braden. Braden’s head popped up with his eyebrows raised, in a silent,
WTF? Cade grinned and pecked Braden on the lips. “You feel good as a
blanket. I want you on top of me tonight. Love you.”
Braden sighed in resignation, secretly pleased but unsure if he could
even sleep like this. He tucked his head under Cade’s chin. He wiggled
around a bit until he got comfortable, and strangely, found that he could get
very comfortable. He was always cold and he knew Cade would feel like a
furnace under him. He was just about to nod off when he mumbled sleepily,
“I love you too. Don’t blame me if I drool all over you.”
Cade chuckled and Braden loved to feel the rumble of it under his
cheek. Cade reached his palm up to cup the back of Braden’s head, ran his
fingers through his hair and left them there. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Sleep
now, baby. I’ve got you.”
As easy as that, Braden was out like a light and Cade didn’t take
much longer to pass out himself, looking forward to waking up with Braden
in his arms again.

OceanofPDF.com
 The following morning Braden woke to the feeling of calloused
fingers running softly up and down his naked back. He breathed in deeply
and realized that he was still very much lying on top of Cade, who was
already completely aroused, which caused Braden to squirm a bit to tease
him. At the deep groan that came as a result, Braden lifted his head to look
into Cade’s gorgeous blue eyes and was a bit spellbound by the intense look
he saw there.
His own cock began to stir, and he couldn’t help but adjust his hips
again, which caused Cade to grip his ass cheeks, massage them in his large
hands, and grind Braden’s cock against his own. Braden moved both of his
legs so that they were on either side of Cade’s hips and pushed up onto his
hands, looking down on Cade, who reached up and threaded his fingers
through Braden’s hair and brought him down for a kiss.
Trailing his lips down Cade’s neck, nipping along his collarbone and
licking down to his right nipple ring, Braden took the ring in his mouth and
sucked, as Cade had instructed yesterday, like he meant it. Cade moaned,
and his hips pumped up against Braden’s. Braden continued to suck and tug
on that ring and then moved over to the other one, giving it equal attention.
He reached between their bodies and lightly stroked Cade’s cock through
his boxers.
All of a sudden Cade jackknifed himself into a sitting position, and
once again Braden sat against Cade’s erection, his own straining against his
boxers. They looked into each other’s eyes, both breathing heavily, and
Braden reached up to stroke the side of Cade’s gorgeous stubbled face. He
traced the outline of Cade’s lips, his nose, his eyebrows, and stroked his
short scruff as he moved in to claim his lips once more. Cade grabbed
Braden by the hips and lifted him from his lap to sit beside him. Cade met
Braden’s eyes and glanced down at Braden’s boxer briefs. “Take them off.”
Braden immediately removed them. Cade’s eyes, at half-mast and so
filled with sexual promise, met his. “Now mine.” Braden got up on his
knees and proceeded to take Cade’s boxers off. Cade, ever in control,
captured Braden by the nape of his neck, bringing their lips together, and
laying Braden down beneath him.
Cade rested on his elbows, fingers in Braden’s hair, rubbing soft
circles on Braden’s temples with his thumbs, his body pressing Braden into
the bed. Braden had never had his neck so thoroughly kissed, licked, bit and
sucked. His arms and legs were covered in goose bumps, and he squirmed
as shivers wracked his frame. Cade tilted his head so his lips were near
Braden’s ear, and he whispered, “Did I feel good last night, deep inside of
you?”
Braden’s breath hitched, and he moaned. “Yes, god yes.”
“Do you want me there again?”
Braden’s grip on Cade’s sides tightened. “Yes, right now. Please.”
Cade’s sucked in a breath, his hips pressing down on Braden’s. “Oh,
baby, you don’t know how much I want that, but I don’t think you’re ready.
I don’t want to make you too sore.”
“It’s OK. I don’t mind. It felt so good.”
“I know, I do, but I’m not gonna to chance it.” Cade met Braden’s
eyes. “I’ll make you feel good though. Would you like that?”
 Braden closed his eyes, pushed his head back into the pillow and
nodded as Cade gently took his earlobe in his mouth and sucked. He let out
a gasp, and gripped Cade’s sides again, not knowing if he was trying to
push him away from sensory overload or pull him closer for more. Their
hips aligned, and when Cade nudged his into Braden’s, Braden opened up
his legs to make more room for Cade to nestle between them. Cade began a
rhythmic pulsing of hips against hips. To Braden it felt like a dance, so
intense, the cadence causing his breath to hitch, the feeling of Cade’s cock
aligned with his, rubbing up and down against it almost enough to drive
him over the edge. He heard little moans come out of his own mouth and
clamped it down, embarrassed to be mewling and whimpering.
“Don’t stop.”
Braden opened his eyes, dazed. “What?”
Cade leaned over him, his gaze intense. “Do you know how fucking
sexy those noises were? Fuck Braden, I want to hear them. I need to hear
them. I want to know how my touch affects you. Please.”
Embarrassed, but wanting to please him, Braden stopped trying to
control his reactions and just relaxed, letting himself go. After several more
minutes of that sweet torture, Cade reached over for the slick and lubed up
his palm. Looking directly at Braden, he reached down, clasped both of
their cocks together, and began to massage the lube into both of them,
squeezing them together from root to tip, up and down, using a tight grip as
he moved his body slightly, in counterpoint to his massaging hand. After
they were both thoroughly slicked up, he kept the grip on them both,
keeping them together, but lay back down on Braden so that he could kiss
him and talk to him.
“That’s it. Listen to you. So fucking hot, those little moans.”
 Cade’s hips were undulating against Braden’s, faster now, his grip
ever tighter. Braden was close. Everything about Cade was making it harder
for him to keep himself under control. Even now, he opened his eyes and
stared into Cade’s. Cade was always so intense, so laser focused on his
needs that Braden felt overwhelmed with that much concentrated attention.
He’d always found himself shying away from such close scrutiny, but there
was no shying away from Cade, he wouldn’t allow it.
Cade’s eyes became heavy lidded. “You like it when I talk to you,
don’t you?”
Braden moaned and nodded. He bit his lip and shuddered under
Cade’s weight, reveling in the firm grip he had on his cock.
“Uh uh, don’t bite that pouty lip. Don’t hold anything back. You
trying to keep yourself from coming?”
Braden’s breath hitched, and he moaned. “Yes.”
Cade shook his head. “Don’t. Let go if you’re ready. Look at me.
That’s it. Feel me, squeezing you. Are you ready?”
Braden closed his eyes and whimpered. “Fuck, yes!”
Cade gripped Braden’s hair tighter at his nape, to keep him in place.
“Keep your eyes on mine, and come for me, Braden.”
Braden met his eyes and as soon as he did, he let go. The intense
pleasure on Braden’s face and in his eyes as he came, sent Cade over the
edge, and they came together, staring into each other’s eyes, the orgasms
lasting far longer than either of them expected. Both breathing heavy, and
sated.
Cade leaned down and kissed Braden’s lips, his voice low. “God,
you’re beautiful. That was so intense, baby.”
Braden loosed his grip on the comforter and brought both of his arms
up to hold onto Cade tightly, barely able to catch his breath and loving his
man with an intensity that he couldn’t put into words, so he didn’t try. They
lay there, just like that, for a good ten minutes before Cade was able to pull
away enough to look down at Braden. “Take a shower with me?”
Braden smirked. “OK, but no funny business.”
Cade laughed and rolled off of Braden. “I need to work on my
technique if you thought that was funny.”
“The fuck you do.” Braden mumbled as he moved to get up. “Don’t
change a damn thing.”
They showered, washing each other and getting themselves ready for
the day, dressed in running gear. They ate a small breakfast and as discussed
the night before, they each dug out their test results and shared them with
each other. Not that either of them felt any doubt of the other’s healthy
status, but they both felt the need to share their results, so that there was no
question of their need for further protection. After they cleaned up the
kitchen, they went over to the café where Braden began his prep and
baking. It felt good to get back into his routine. He enjoyed having a
weekend off, but baking was something he absolutely loved, and he felt
energized from his days with Cade. He set about getting as much done
before his run as possible.
Cade went to the office and got some work done, as well. He placed a
call to Olivia to check in. Their office manager was a gem, and he knew
damn well they were lucky to have her. She kept them running and
organized, which was a feat in itself, as Custos Securities was becoming
larger than Cade and Cooper had ever hoped it would be. He asked her for
the real estate report he’d requested from her and several other things that
were pending. She had a number of people below her that she managed in
order to keep things running smoothly, and she caught Cade up on anything
that needed tending to.
 He checked his emails for any new cases needing his attention, but
his out of office message was steering them to Micah, so he forwarded what
he found, but avoided responding personally. He emailed Micah as well,
asking him to call in if he needed anything and that he would continue to be
working the case here with Cooper, Sawyer, and Jackson, until further
notice.
He sent a message to his local crew and asked them to look into some
of the reports he’d gotten from Olivia and get back to him with their
findings. He searched his inbox and found the email from Landon he was
hoping for, with his full time availability beginning in three months and a
notification that until that time he would be available part time to support
Brody. He would be an enormous help, even at part time. He’d proven that
his 20 hours a week was more like an average man’s 40 hours a week, so he
was well worth the wait and the healthy salary they would be offering him.
Having worked for a couple of hours, he stepped out to check on
Braden, who was wrapping up his baking and ready to run. They were able
to get four miles in and he could tell that Braden was not only happy from
getting back into his kitchen, but also happy to be running again. He loved
seeing that happiness on his face and would do anything to keep it there.
This situation with Eric needed to come to a head. He needed to provide
Braden with closure on that part of his life before they could move forward
together.
After their run, they went back to Braden’s to shower and change for
the day. Heading back over to the café, he got the feeling that they were
being watched. He hurried Braden into the café, set the alarms and was just
about to talk to Braden about it, when he got a text from Sawyer. Making
sure Braden was back at work, he took a seat at one of the counter stools in
the kitchen to stay near Braden, and checked his phone.
 Sawyer: Stick to him like glue. Something’s off.
Cade: I’m feeling it too. Where are you?
Sawyer: Other side of town with J, but after my spidey senses hit,
we got in the car and we’re on the way back. ETA 30 minutes.
Cade: Good. See you soon.
He texted Cooper to get him to come to the café, and went over to
talk to Braden. “Hey, something’s going on. Felt watched on the way over
here from your place and Sawyer’s feeling it too. I need you to promise me
you won’t leave the kitchen without one of us going with you. Sawyer is
coming back with Jackson. Should be here in 30 minutes, and I’m going to
go call Cooper, as he hasn’t answered my text. We need to have Coop in
front, keeping an eye out, and I want Sawyer and Jackson on perimeter
search, once they get here.”
Braden saw the apprehension on Cade’s face and felt rather
concerned himself. “I promise, Z. I’ll stay right here.”
Reassured that Braden would be safe with the security alarm set,
Cade went to the office for a few minutes to call Cooper.

As soon as Cade left, Braden received a text. He removed his earbuds

and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. The phone number was listed
as unknown, and a sense of dread settled in the pit of Braden’s stomach. A
picture of Maya, wearing the same clothes she had on when she came into
the café that morning, popped up. A second picture came through, this one
of Nana that looked very recent as well. His heart started a fast beat, and his
stomach lurched.
 Unknown: Maya, Nana, and your new boyfriend can’t be
protected 24/7. Keep your mouth shut about this conversation.
Braden: What do you want, Eric? Why can’t you just leave me
the fuck alone?
Unknown: Did you think your little video would save you from
me forever? What do I want? I want you. You’re mine. And
unless you want your precious Maya or little old Nana, or even
your latest dick, to end up dead, you’ll fucking do what I say. Tell
me we understand each other. You don’t want to piss me off,
Braden...
Braden: What do you want from me?
Unknown: I want you, alone, outside of the café in the next 10
minutes. I’ve got my eye on the back door, so I’ll know if anyone
else is with you, and I’m armed, so don’t fuck this up or one of
them will have to go.
Braden: I’ve got someone in the back with me, I can’t just leave
without them wondering what I’m doing.
Unknown: It’s either now, or I change my target from you to any
one of them, at any time. Their death would be on you. What will
it be?
Braden: OK. I’m coming. But I have to figure out how to leave
without arousing suspicion. Give me more time.
Unknown: You have 10 minutes from now. Figure it out.
Tears flooded Braden’s eyes at what he had to do. His heart
jackhammered in his chest, his hands shook and his body had broken out
into a cold sweat. Cade was just down the hall; could he go now? He just
wanted to see him one last time, but if he did, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able
to get away again. He heard the door from the front of the café swing open,
and he turned so that his back was to whoever was coming through. He
made himself out to be busy and hoped whoever it was didn’t try to talk to
him because they’d know something horrible was happening the second
they saw him.
He glanced quickly over his shoulder and spotted Maya heading past
him. She must have thought he had his buds in, because she kept going,
thank god. He glanced back down to the countertop, and tried to look busy.
He realized with a feeling of dread that he had to remove the ring with the
tracer and after that conversation with Cade about what his watches could
do, he’d be leaving that here as well, not to mention his phone. Taking both
off, he tucked them off to the side, in between some of the bowls on the
counter.
If Eric was threatening his family and friends, there was no stopping
him and he couldn’t safeguard any of them unless Eric had no reason to go
after anyone. If he went with Eric, everyone else would be safe. Knowing
very well he might never see Nana, Maya, and Cade again, he at least
wanted them to know he loved them. He wanted to leave some kind of
message, some way to let them know he was sorry. Not giving himself time
to question his idea, he started a text to Maya that he would send when he
walked out the door: “I’m so sorry to you both, and I love you both so
much! Tell Nana I love her too and tell Z that I’m sorry I lied. I couldn’t let
him hurt you guys. This is the only way I could guarantee everyone’s
safety.”
He felt sick to his stomach and was just about ready to leave when
Cade came back from the way Maya had just gone. Surreptitiously
watching him out of the corner of his eye, he realized that Cade was
focused on his phone. He stuffed his hands into the dough that was
currently rising in front of him and saw Cade tuck his phone in his pocket.
He was careful to keep his voice neutral so that Cade didn’t become
suspicious. “Hey, I’m really worried about Maya. She just headed into the
office. Did you talk to her?”
“No, I was trying to get Cooper on the phone, and she passed me as I
was coming out of there. What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. But, my hands are covered with dough. Can you
please go check on her? I’ll wash my hands and head back there in a
second, but she looked pretty upset.”
“Yeah, I’ll check in with her, but if she’s upset, she’ll want you, not
me.”
“I know. Be there in a couple minutes.”
Cade went back to the office, and Braden knew he had seconds to get
out of there successfully. He ripped off his apron and wiped his hands on it,
grabbed his phone and ran to the back door. He turned off the alarm system
to avoid bringing them out any faster and unlocked the door. He looked
down at his phone, keyed in the code and sent the text. He set the phone on
the counter by the door, opened it and left.
Once he was outside, he looked around frantically, not knowing what
to do, until an old Honda Civic pulled up and the passenger door was flung
open. There sat Eric, a crazed gleam in his eyes. He quickly made his way
over to the car and slipped in, just as he heard his name being called. He
looked through the driver’s side window as he pulled his door shut, and saw
Cooper standing at the front door to their house, drawing his gun. He
watched the look of horror slide over Cooper’s face as Eric slammed his
foot on the gas and they sped off.

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade lifted his phone from his pocket and saw that he’d missed
Cooper’s text.
Cooper: Sorry, was in the shower. Getting dressed and coming
over immediately.
He breathed a sigh of relief and knocked on the now closed office
door. Maya called out that he could come in and when he did, she held up a
finger for him to wait, the phone sandwiched between her shoulder and ear.
She started writing something down on an order form. “OK, Mrs. Newton,
I’ll give your order to Braden, and he’ll be in touch soon about pickup or
delivery. If he hasn’t seen you in a while, I’m sure he’d love to stop by and
bring your order with him. He could even bring his handsome new
boyfriend.”
Cade raised his eyebrow at that and wondered what Braden meant
when he thought she seemed upset. She seemed fine.
“Nope, sorry, Mrs. Newton, that’s all the info I can share at the
moment, I have to get back up to the front! Talk to you soon!”
Maya hung up the office phone and grinned up at Cade. “Hi! Now
you’ll get to meet one of Braden’s little old ladies in the neighborhood
when you help him deliver an order for her little tea party.”
“Sounds fun. Listen, Braden said he thought you looked really upset
earlier, so he sent me in here to check on you, said he’d be back here in a
couple minutes. Everything OK?”
 Puzzled, Maya’s brows rose. “That’s weird. Yeah, I’m perfectly fine.
Let’s go see what he was talking about.”
She picked up her phone from the desk, and Cade was just about to
open the door for her when she sucked in a breath. “No, no, Braden.”
Turning around to face her, he saw she was looking at a text on her
phone. He grabbed it and read it, then cussed, wrenching the door open, his
heart seizing and his stomach twisting in knots. He ran out to the kitchen,
but knew he’d be too late.
He grabbed the back of his head with his hands, bent at the waist and
roared. “FUCK! God damned mother fucker has Braden!”
Just then, Cooper ran in the back door and yelled, “I saw him get in
the fucking car! I couldn’t shoot, too many fucking bystanders. I ran to our
SUV and his, to follow him, and both had slashed tires. What the fuck
happened?”
Maya walked over to Cooper and showed him the text from Braden,
and it was then that she noticed Braden’s cell on the counter. While Cooper
read the text and cussed another blue streak, Maya’s hands shook as she
handed the phone over to Cade. “He must have heard from Eric. His code is
9951.” She took a deep shaky breath and went up front to close the café,
herd any customers out and send the girls home.
Cade grabbed his phone and thumbed through the texts, seeing the
conversation immediately. He set Braden’s phone down before he threw the
thing and broke it into a million pieces. God, he should have had this
conversation with Braden, warned him that Eric might try this, and promise
Braden that they could protect Maya and Nana. He’d fucked everything up,
he’d become too complacent, too wrapped up in their new relationship to
pay attention. If Braden got hurt, or worse, it was on him.
 Cade wanted to throw something, hit something, hurt someone, but
he knew if he was going to get Braden back, he needed to get his fucking
act together and start thinking. Sinking down into a crouch, looking at the
floor between his knees, he placed his folded hands behind his head and
took deep breaths to calm his heart rate. That’s where he was when Jackson
and Sawyer came in the back and as soon as they saw their boss doing his
best to pull himself together, they knew Braden was gone.
They both turned to Cooper with questions in their eyes, and Cooper
showed them both Maya’s phone and Braden’s phone as well, so that
everyone was up to speed. Maya came back from the front, looking dazed
and wiping several tears away. He opened his arms, and she ran into them.
He murmured to her as he rocked her back and forth, “We’re gonna get him
back.” And louder, “You hear me, McCade? We’re gonna get your boy
back, so take a minute to get yourself under control and then get your game
face on. We need our leader right now.”
When Cade stood up, the men were all looking at their CO, all traces
of their friend gone. All three of them stood taller, more rigid, and all three
of them gave fleeting thoughts of saluting him. None of them did, but Cade
saw the change in his men and was grateful.
Maya moved to Braden’s workstation to clear the countertops of
anything Braden had been working on. She needed to keep busy and figured
this was the place that was going to become their home base, more than
likely, so she needed to get it cleaned up. Taking all of the bowls and
utensils to the sink, she began to wipe everything down when she noticed
several things on the countertop and picked them up. She whispered, “Cade,
why….”
Cade turned to see her holding up Braden’s watch and his ring and
any control he thought he had vanished when he saw his only chance of
finding Braden slip away. He leaned over and gripped the edge of the
countertop and yelled at the top of his lungs until he had no breath. Cooper
gave the signal to the other men to stand down and assist. Knowing the
other two wouldn’t interfere no matter what happened, but that they’d keep
an eye on Maya should she try to help, he approached Cade. This wasn’t
going to be pretty, but he was the only one, at this point, that could break
through to Cade, so he stepped in. He gripped Cade hard on the back of his
neck, and exerted enough pressure there that he couldn’t be ignored, he
heard Cade growl. “Get the fuck off me, Cooper.”
Cade brought his left elbow up and easily got himself out of Cooper’s
hold. He stood up, breathing heavily, glaring at his friend and narrowed his
eyes when Cooper telegraphed his intentions a split second before he let
loose with a very serious right hook. Cade ducked and came back with left
hook that he pulled, not wanting to do any serious harm. Cooper, looking
pissed that he’d pulled his punch, continued his assault, and Cade parried
Cooper’s blows, getting angrier and angrier with his friend and moving
them both towards the wall beside the break room. He caught Cooper with
an uppercut and then pinned him to the wall with his forearm against his
throat, pressing hard enough for a warning but not hard enough to cut off
air. Both men breathed heavily and glared at each other. Cade was just
about to ask him what the fuck he thought he was doing when Cooper very
quietly grated out in Dari, “Are you with me?”
Cade let out a whoosh of breath, incredulous. He pressed harder
against Cooper’s windpipe and responded, just as quietly, in the same
language. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Cooper took his one free hand and thumped his palm against the side
of Cade’s head a couple times, getting a warning glare, which he ignored,
and continued softly in the Persian dialect they’d learned while serving
overseas, keeping their conversation private. “You were up in your head. I
need you present, cap. Braden needs you present.”
Taking several deep breaths, he loosened his hold on Cooper’s throat,
stepped back several paces and stood tall, hands on hips. He surveyed the
kitchen, saw that Jackson had hold of Maya, who was crying and watching
them, and Sawyer was standing between the other ladies who must have
come from the front, after closing up. Both of them looked shocked and
upset. Shit, just…. Shit. He had been in his own head. He turned back to
Cooper, nodded his thanks, and continued in English, “Where’s his phone?”
His men all approached him, ready to get to work. Jackson handed
over Braden’s phone and Cade spoke quietly to his men, giving instructions.
They each were about to head off in different directions to follow orders,
but everyone turned towards Maya when she screamed, “What the fucking
fuck was that?”
Stunned, everyone stared at her. As she railed on, she threw her hands
in the air in disgust. “You’re looking at me like I’m crazy? What the hell
just happened here? Cade yells his ass off, then Coop and Cade proceed to
kick each other’s asses, he gets Coop in some kind of voodoo chokehold
and you all whisper sweet nothings to each other, in another language, I
might add, and now everything’s OK? Everything is not fucking OK!
Braden is gone! Braden is fucking gone!”
At that point the ladies approached Maya and hugged her close. Cade
looked at the guys and signaled them to get to work, letting them know he’d
handle the situation. Maya was sobbing and Cade had to make it right.
Instead of dealing with the situation as he should have, he lost his shit and
someone had to try to beat his head in before he would step up. That was
unacceptable.
 In control now, and ready to admit he’d fucked up, he approached
Maya who looked up at him, more pissed off than he’d ever seen her. The
other ladies moved aside, whispered that they’d wait in the break room, and
he stood in front of her and apologized. She threw her arms up, pounded
ineffectually on his chest and screamed, “He’ll hurt him, Cade! He can’t go
through that again!”
She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face and he
apologized again. “I’m so sorry, Maya. I failed him. I take full
responsibility. I saw the watch, his ring, and the phone, realized all the
tracers I’d put on him were sitting here, in the fucking kitchen, instead of on
him so I could find him, and I lost my shit. There’s no excuse. None. All I
can say is that I’ll find him. I’ll find him, Maya. You have my word that I
won’t rest until I do. He’s my life! He’s my whole fucking world, Maya.”
Crying harder, she hugged him, and he rocked her. After several
minutes, she got herself under control and began to pull away. He reached
down, put his hands around her waist and picked her up, sitting her on the
countertop. He bent down and looked into her eyes. She wiped her eyes and
whispered, “You didn’t fail him. He decided to leave so that we weren’t in
danger. You aren’t to blame for that.”
Cade refused solace and shook his head. “I am. He didn’t trust me to
take care of him and to ensure your safety and his grandmother’s safety. I
should have had the conversation with him, explained that Eric might try
this tactic, explained that we could handle it if he did. Instead I got
complacent and just let Braden get taken.”
Maya shoved feebly at his chest. “You stop that bullshit, right now!
Maybe, I’m to blame, because Eric threatened me. Or, maybe it’s Nana.
Yes, that’s it, let’s blame Nana, Cade! How about it? Makes just as much
sense as you blaming yourself. No one is to blame, except fucking Eric! Got
it?”
Cade looked at her, so fierce and loyal. He loved her for how much
she loved Braden. He nodded his head. “Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s better. OK, so, you gave instructions to the guys, you give
instructions to me. What do I need to do?”
Now that Maya’s tears had passed, Cade took a deep breath, “Call
Nana. She’ll be pissed if we don’t tell her what happened, immediately.
From what I know about her, she’ll want to be involved in some way. In
order to keep her occupied and to help you out, I think it’s best to keep the
café open, after today, I mean.”
Maya looked at him, incredulous. “What? No, we can’t, without
Braden. The café doesn’t matter right now.”
Cade clasped her face in his hands. “Maya, think for a minute. It’s
what Braden would want, and I have a feeling it’s what Nana will want. He
told me once that he learned everything he knows from her. She’ll want to
be here anyway; this way she has something to do. She can take over
Braden’s duties. She can stay at Braden’s place tonight. I won’t be there
until he’s back with me anyway, but if I need a catnap later, I can do it in
Braden’s bed. I moved my stuff in there.”
Maya’s breath hitched when she sighed. “OK, I’ll call her right now.
I’ll ask the girls to help me get his place ready for her, so you don’t have to
worry about that. We’ll help her settle in, and if she doesn’t want to take her
usual car service, I can go pick her up.”
“If it comes to that, I might send one of the guys with you both, as a
precaution, so please keep me informed as to what is going on. I’ll be
working out of the office here, or the kitchen, if I need more space.”
 Maya went to the bathroom to wash up before she called Nana. It felt
good to have something to do, so she wasn’t sitting around waiting. She
was already feeling much more in control, but as soon as she stepped into
the bathroom, all of that calm left her and her heart was in her throat, once
again. She yelled for Cade.
When he came around the corner at a run, she handed him what she’d
found, and he was dealt another blow that he didn’t know how to come
back from. He gripped Braden’s testing kit in his hands and stared at it. He
looked up, saw the tears returning to Maya’s eyes. She was about to speak,
but he shook his head. He took several deep breaths and kept control of
himself by the skin of his teeth. He looked at her and made sure she saw
confidence in his eyes before he spoke. “I’m going to find him, and he’s
going to be OK.”
His body was a solid mass of tension and his hands shook, his anger
palpable. Taking the kit with him, as a reminder that he’d keep in sight until
he had Braden back with him, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and
called his younger brother Finn, who answered on the second ring,
“Zavier?”
“Yes.”
A beat of silence. “What’s happened?”
Cade clenched his teeth. “I need your help.”
“You have it; tell me.”
Keeping his voice calm and even was impossible. “I need to know
what happens to a type 1 diabetic when he doesn’t get his insulin.”
“How many doses has he missed?”
Cade rubbed his palm back and forth over his head in frustration.
“Let’s say he had a dose this morning at 5:30 a.m., ate a healthy breakfast,
and ran four miles, but hasn’t had another one and might not get another
one.”
“Ever?” Finn waited a few seconds, probably hoping that wasn’t
what he meant. “Diabetic coma, brain damage and then death.”
Cade squeezed his eyes shut against the truth. “Timeline?”
Finn’s voice was strained. “What the hell is going on, Zavier?”
Cade’s voice wobbled when he repeated more firmly, “Timeline,
Finnegan?”
“I would have to check to be sure, and I will do so and get back to
you with an answer as soon as I can get it, but my best guess is less than 48
hours. Zavier, do you need us?”
Knowing that by “us”, his brother meant the whole family, he
responded, “Possibly.”
“Where are you?”
Cade winced. “San Francisco.”
Finn sucked in a breath. “You’re in town? Where?”
Cade ended the call after he told his brother where he was. He knew
he’d essentially just called in the cavalry. His family would be arriving very
soon and he knew, at that point, he’d welcome just about any help he could
get. He stepped into the kitchen to find Detective Miller there with Cooper.
He let Cooper handle it and walked back to the office. He was just about to
put a call through to Brody to get an update on what his team had been
working on so far when Finn called back.
Cade skipped the hello’s. “What did you find?”
Finn cleared his throat, obviously not happy with the answer he had
to give. “You’re looking at around 36 hours, give or take a few, depending
on extenuating circumstances.”
 Fucking hell, Braden couldn’t catch a break. “What types of
circumstances?”
“Has he had any recent surgery, illness or trauma?”
Cade pinched the bridge of his nose. “What type of trauma?”
Finn sighed. “Extremely high levels of stress or any acute injuries?”
Cade gripped the desk, knuckles white. “Both are possible, at this
point. Stress for sure, possible injuries. If so, what does that mean for the
timeline?”
Silence. Cade growled.
“It means that it could shorten that timeline, but there’s no telling by
how much. It’s different for everyone. Zavier, what’s going on?”
Cade’s voice was guttural when he was finally able to answer. “I
think it’s best if I tell the story only once, when everyone else is here. Did
you send out the SOS or do I need to?”
“I will, it sounds like you have enough on your plate. Now you won’t
have to do it alone. Everyone that is in town will be there within the hour.”
“Thanks, Finn. I need to get going.”
He put in a call to Brody.
“What information do you have for me, Brody?”
Cade could hear computer keys clicking in the background. “Nothing
yet. I’ve got copies of the camera feeds from the camera on the café and the
one on their house from Jackson. He got into a dark blue Honda Civic. I’m
still working on getting the picture clear enough to see if I can get a license
plate. I’ve got Braden’s phone number, and I’m having Sawyer hook it up
to his laptop to see if I can clone it and back-trace the unknown caller.”
“We’ve got a countdown hanging over our heads, Brody. I don’t care
what it takes, how many people you have to pay, call in favors, or bribe in
order to help you get done what you need to get done, but in less than 36
hours, and I can’t even tell you how many hours less, Braden will lapse into
a diabetic coma. We just found his insulin here. If he is subjected to undue
stress and any injuries, which is precisely the situation he’s in right now, his
body will shorten that countdown, and we’ll be looking at less than 36
hours.”
“Fuck, Cade. OK, then let me get the hell off the phone and start
working with Landon and anyone else we can get on it, so we can track him
down. You don’t have to explain what he means to you Cade, it’s
understood, and you’ll be getting the best work out of me that I have to
give.”
He hung up, not feeling much better, but knowing that Brody was
doing everything he could do at this point. He felt like his hands were tied.
He knew that his best bet was Brody. His hacking and computer skills
would, hopefully, be what found Braden in the end, because he’d left all
tracers behind. He headed into the kitchen to see if there were any further
status updates. He found his men, along with Detective Miller, discussing
the situation. He tossed Braden’s testing kit on the countertop in front of
them and the men all looked at it and then looked up.
“That, gentlemen, is a ticking time bomb. Braden didn’t take his
diabetic testing kit and insulin with him. According to my brother, a doctor,
if circumstances are perfect, Braden has 36 hours until he lapses into a
diabetic coma. If circumstances aren’t perfect; if say, Braden is under an
excessive amount of stress, or perhaps, finds himself injured in any way,
that timeline lessens, but we aren’t sure exactly how much time we have.
His first, and possibly only, dose today was at 5:30 a.m. He had a healthy
breakfast and ran four miles, which are both things that could impact this
timeline. He might have dosed himself again after his run, but I did not see
him do so. At this point we need to operate under the assumption that he
dosed himself at 5:30 a.m. and hasn’t had any insulin since. That means,
under the most ideal circumstances, we’d need to find Braden before 5:30
p.m., tomorrow evening. Keep in mind, nothing about this fucked up
situation is ideal, so the reality is, that we need to find him before 11:30
a.m. tomorrow morning to avoid him slipping into that coma, and that
might not even be early enough, but with the information I have, that’s what
we’ll be using as our goal. Set your Bellators.”
Just then, his cell phone pinged the arrival of a new text. His family
was here. He saw his men setting their watches as he walked to the front of
the café to let them in. The smell of coffee drifted through the swinging
door as he pushed his way through. He saw Layla putting a tray together
with coffee and some of Braden’s scones and muffins. Zoe was walking to
the front door but he stopped her. “That’s my family. I’ll let them in. Thank
you, ladies, for staying and making coffee, it will help. If you could take it
to the kitchen, that’s where we’ll all most likely be convening.”
He realized with some surprise that the only person that wasn’t there
was his youngest brother, Aiden, who was most likely on a mission with his
SEAL team. He opened the door and received hugs from everyone, but
there were no questions and there was no chatter. His family knew from
talking to Finn and from the look on his face that something bad had
happened and he would tell them about it as soon as he was able to. He
assumed Aiden was out of the country, but wanted to make sure he didn’t
need to wait on him. “Is Aiden OCONUS?”
His dad answered, “Yes, he’s been overseas for several weeks.”
Nodding, he led his family back to the kitchen where the ladies had
joined the men and where Detective Miller was still present. He began
introductions, “Detective Miller, Layla, Zoe, Maya, Sawyer, Jackson, and
I’m sure you all remember Cooper. Everyone, meet my family; my mother,
Siobhan; my father, Duncan; my younger sister, Rowan; my older brother,
Gideon; and my younger brother, Finn. I’ve invited them here to help out,
in any capacity. Let me explain to them what is going on and we can go
from there.”
Cade took a deep breath, faced his family and got straight to the
point. “We came here, Cooper and I, just shy of two weeks ago. We were
here for work, obviously, but we were going to surprise our families. When
we got here, Maya’s business partner, Braden, had some trouble with a
stalker and we decided to take on his case. Since then, even in so short a
time, a lot has happened. Braden has become… Well, he’s become my
everything.”
At his mother’s gasp, he smiled sadly at her. “We discovered that his
stalker was his abusive ex-boyfriend, Eric, and have been protecting him
ever since we arrived. He started escalating by breaking and entering and
destroying Braden’s property. This morning, he threatened Braden with
recent pictures of Maya and his grandmother, threatened me as well, saying
that if Braden didn’t cooperate and go with him, he’d kill one of us. Braden
is very protective of those he loves, so he left of his own accord. That was
just shy of 9 a.m. this morning.”
Cade crossed his arms over his chest and continued to explain as
much as he could. “In addition to that, Braden has a couple health concerns,
the biggest being that he is a type 1 diabetic, and we discovered that he left
without his insulin, which means, according to Finn, we have less than 36
hours to find him, before he lapses into a diabetic coma. I believe we have
much less than that, however, because that timeline shortens when there are
high levels of stress and possible injuries. Let me walk you through what
has already been done and what is being done currently.”
 After explaining what he could about the video cameras catching the
car and the phone being cloned, he glanced at Detective Miller, who let
them know that he had put out an APB when Eric had slashed Braden’s
tires the first time, but he just updated all information to reflect the navy
blue Honda Civic and the pictures they had. Maya spoke up, reminding him
that Braden’s grandmother would arrive any minute. She also talked to Zoe
and Layla, letting them know that they could stay if they wanted, but it was
OK if they wanted to leave. Both girls elected to stay and try to help in any
way they could.
Cade met Braden’s grandmother in the front when she arrived so that
he could tell her what had happened without an audience. She walked in the
door looking rather regal and extremely pissed off. As soon as Cade
recounted the events of the morning, he could see the fight leave her body
and her shoulders slumped as she took a seat at one of the café tables. Cade
apologized to her, took responsibility, but just as Maya had done, she put
him in his place, reassuring him it wasn’t his fault. She admitted that she
arrived feeling as if he was to blame, because he was supposed to be
protecting him, but after being told what happened, she believed that
Braden would have found a way to leave no matter what, as long as he
thought he was protecting people he loved. She asked several questions and
then seemed to get herself together and stood up, prepared to meet everyone
who had come to help find her grandson.

OceanofPDF.com
 Braden woke, his head pounding, completely disoriented. His vision
was blurry, his head fuzzy, and he didn’t know where he was. He tried to
turn over and realized he was caught somehow. He tried to extricate his arm
from whatever was holding it and had to squint to look at what was on his
wrist. He panicked when he realized it was a pair of handcuffs. He used his
free hand to try unsuccessfully to remove the cuffs, which were connected
to a chain and attached to something under the bed that he was lying on. His
breathing became erratic as his panic grew.
The cuffs allowed for enough movement to change into any position
on the bed, but didn’t allow enough slack to move more than a couple steps
away from it. His vision cleared just enough to make out familiar shapes
and colors, and he realized with horror that he was back in his old bedroom
that he used to share with Eric, only it was different. He recognized that it
was painted the same, had the same pieces of furniture, but the layout was
wrong. He was in a different room, a different house, but everything, down
to their pictures they’d had done together professionally, were all put where
they’d been in their old bedroom.
He remembered everything now. He remembered leaving the café
and getting into Eric’s car. He remembered regretting his decision the
second he climbed in and saw the disbelief and shock on Cooper’s face as
they drove away, knowing that Cade would feel so betrayed and
disappointed. He remembered well the gleam in Eric’s eyes when he
glanced his way for the first time since getting in the car. It was that look
that did it, the one thing keeping him silent.
As soon as he’d seen that look in Eric’s eyes, he’d remembered the
way that Eric used to look at him when they argued, as if it made him
perversely happy. He remembered well that look of utter satisfaction after
he would beat Braden. The more Braden talked back, yelled, cried, or
begged, especially begged, the happier Eric seemed to get. But Braden
wasn’t the same man any longer. He was in love with someone else,
someone that was worthy of his love and in that love, he’d gained strength
and insight into what had been. The second he saw that look in Eric’s eyes
was the second Braden decided he was no longer going to play Eric’s
games.
Yes, he’d left of his own free will. He’d been stupid and scared for
the people he loved. All he could think about was them, at the time. As
soon as he got into that car, however, he’d realized the mistake he had
made, and he vowed then and there that he was done making mistakes
where Eric was concerned. So that maniacal gleam in his eyes was going to
fall away. No matter how hard Eric beat him, he wouldn’t give Eric the
satisfaction of begging, talking, crying, or reacting the way that Eric
wanted. He’d made that decision in the car and immediately he felt a mask
of indifference fall over his features. That mask remained and would remain
until Cade found him, or until Eric killed him. He would show nothing of
his fears, his feelings, his anger, his hurt, and his sadness, as those emotions
no longer belonged to Eric.
He knew exactly when Eric realized a difference in him. He began
trying to fill the silence, get a reaction from him. He talked at first about
their relationship and how they were finally together again. He got no
reaction. He mentioned Cade and laughed when he asked Braden if he
thought he’d really be man enough to keep someone like him. He got no
reaction. Eric continued trying to put doubts in his mind about Cade, doubts
that wormed their way into Braden’s psyche, as much as he wanted to deny
it, but outwardly, he did not react. Eric talked about what he’d been doing
and how he’d left his job in order to find something more challenging. He
got no reaction. He’d talked about how he’d been watching Braden, while
he ran, while he hung out with Maya, when he saw Nana, while he was
making deliveries. He got no reaction. He raised his voice to Braden, told
him he’d be sorry for the way he’d left him, sorry for the way he was acting
now. He got no reaction.
When he didn’t react to the threats, Eric lost control. He’d slammed
Braden’s head into the glass in the passenger door, not once, not twice, but
three times and knocked him out. His vision was still blurry, and he was
very thirsty. He glanced around and saw a bottle of water on the nightstand.
He opened it and drank the bottle empty in a matter of seconds. As much as
he didn’t want to see Eric, he had to use the bathroom. He had no idea what
time it was, or how long he’d been out. He felt his head and found a rather
large lump where his head had slammed into the window and realized his
hair was matted with what must have been dried blood.
He rolled over as much as he could and saw a digital clock on the
nightstand table that read 2:53 p.m. He thought he had left the café around 9
a.m., so it had almost been six hours. His head felt like shit, but he didn’t
know if he would have been knocked out for that long because of it, so he
began to worry about being drugged, and what might have been in the water
he just gulped down. He wanted more, felt like he could drink a gallon of
the stuff.
He didn’t know how long he’d have to wait for Eric, and he had to
urinate, badly. No longer able to wait, he stood up on wobbly legs, made to
unzip his fly, planning to pee into the water bottle he’d emptied, when Eric
strode in, a gun in his hand, and spoke angrily. “I’ll unlock you to take you
to the restroom if you promise not to try anything. I’m not afraid to use this,
so don’t fuck with me.”
Braden stood there, made no attempt to answer and waited until Eric
unlocked the cuffs, only he didn’t. He got down low in front of Braden’s
face and glared into his eyes and grated out, “This silent treatment bullshit
isn’t going to work! You need to promise me you won’t try anything when I
unlock you.” Braden didn’t respond. Eric yelled, “Answer me, god
dammit!” Still Braden didn’t say a word and avoided eye contact
completely.
When he saw the backhand coming, he tried to move out of the way,
but he still felt dizzy from hitting his head earlier and possibly being
drugged, so his movements were sluggish. Not to mention he was surprised
Eric was aiming for his face. In the past he’d always avoided it, so that
others wouldn’t know he was being beaten. The backhand missed a direct
hit to his upper cheek and eye, but he caught the hit on his upper eyelid and
eyebrow and felt it split open immediately.
His backward momentum had him reaching back to try to avoid a
fall. His hand landed on the edge of the nightstand table, which tipped over
under his weight, sending everything that was on it sailing. Braden lost his
balance completely and fell at an awkward angle. His left hand took all of
his weight, wrenching his wrist back into an impossible position. Braden
felt the crack of a bone breaking and shooting pain flew up his arm from his
wrist. He screamed out in agony and grabbed his arm to his chest. He
gritted his teeth and breathed in deeply trying to dispel the nausea that
resurfaced with the pain. His whole body shuddered in agony.
 Eric stood above him, his face an angry mask. “Now look what you
did! You’re always fucking everything up! Get up!”
Braden knew from experience if he didn’t get up as quickly as
possible he was risking a kick or two to the ribs, and he didn’t need any
more broken bones than he already had. But, even knowing this, he was too
slow and as soon as Eric’s foot made contact with the ribs on his left side,
he fell down again, clutching his chest, gasping in pain. He lay there
shaking, his body wrecked, and was so close to just giving up, but didn’t
want to give Eric the satisfaction, so he struggled to his knees and then
slowly got to his feet, still cradling his arm and protecting his ribs.
He knew he was fucked when Eric tucked the gun into the small of
his back and reached aggressively for the same arm, preparing to remove
the cuffs. Nothing about Eric was gentle, and he knew getting the cuffs off
of him was going to be excruciating. Braden was careful to move his arm
closer to Eric to try to avoid any rough handling, but Eric grabbed onto his
forearm and yanked his arm closer, nearly causing Braden to black out with
the pain. He twisted the cuffs until the lock was on top, and he used a key to
unlock them. Eric tossed them on the bed and dug his fingers into Braden’s
upper arm and dragged him to the bathroom, practically shoving him inside.
Braden kept his back turned towards Eric to avoid giving him the
pleasure of seeing his tears. He struggled to breathe in and out, slowly, to
avoid more pain in his chest. He used his right hand to lower his fly and
proceeded to urinate as quickly as he could. He struggled getting himself
back into his pants and zipped back up, but in the end he knew he didn’t
have a choice. He wasn’t going to show that weakness to Eric. Not to
mention, all he needed was that sick fuck’s hands anywhere near his dick.
He did his best to wash his hand and glancing at himself in the mirror, he
cringed inwardly. He looked awful. His hair was matted at his temple from
his introduction to the car’s passenger window; his eyebrow was split open
and still oozing blood. His wrist was canted at a strange angle, held gently
to his chest, and he looked pale as hell.
He was so damned exhausted and felt so sick to his stomach that he
walked back to the bed, passing by Eric without a glance in his direction.
He struggled to climb onto the bed, but when he finally managed it, he lay
down and held out his right wrist for the cuffs this time. He wasn’t about to
put that damn thing back on his broken one. He heard Eric stomp out of the
room and just lay there for a couple minutes, thinking his pain was too great
and his stomach too upset to fall asleep. He was wrong. He was out only
minutes later.

Cade realized he was pacing when he looked up and caught Gideon’s

eyes and saw the raised eyebrow. It wasn’t like him to pace and his older
brother knew he was not reacting as he normally would. He was used to
taking action and felt like a caged animal. It was nearly 4 p.m., and they
were no further in their search than they had been six hours ago. He wanted
to get in his car and drive around town searching, but he knew that would
be a waste of time and probably make him lose whatever sliver of control
he had on his temper
Everyone was scattered around the café. They were using the office,
the front to make coffee, and the break room; but mostly, everyone was
using the kitchen as the home base. His mother had immediately gravitated
towards Braden’s grandmother and he’d seen them having more than one
whispered conversation. He was sad that they’d met under these
circumstances. His family had all let him know they were here for him, and
everyone was keeping themselves busy in some way or another.
Detective Miller had asked them if they wanted to get Braden’s story
on the news, so that people could be on the lookout for Braden. Both Cade
and Maya immediately rejected the idea, and Cade had warned the
Detective, in no uncertain terms, who he would blame if it leaked. He knew
Braden would hate his life splashed in public that way. As much as they
needed to find Braden, there was no guarantee that a media blitz would help
in the cause, especially since Eric seemed like such a loner; but there was a
guarantee that Braden would feel completely violated by that type of
intrusion into his personal life, not to mention how angry it would make
Eric if he saw it and then proceeded to take it out on Braden.
Brody had gotten the license plate number from the stolen Honda,
and Detective Miller had added it to the search the police were doing. Now
it was just a waiting game as they scoured the city looking for the car, the
same way he’d done with the other one. However, this time Brody had
solicited help from Cade, Sawyer and Jackson, Cade’s sister, and older
brother. Brody had gotten them all hooked up to Brody’s intranet on their
own laptops and had walked them all through how to search throughout the
city for camera footage.
So far Brody had been unable to get a location from the unknown
phone number. He’d successfully cloned Braden’s phone but had been
unable to get anything through a back trace. It was a prepaid untraceable
one and unless it was actively being used, was very hard to locate.
Actively being used. Shit. He looked up, caught Sawyer’s eye.
“Braden’s phone?”
Sawyer turned, unplugged it, and handed it over to Cade. He yanked
his own phone from his pocket and dialed Brody. He looked up when he
realized the kitchen had immediately become silent, everyone was
hyperaware of him, as if they were walking on eggshells, and perhaps they
were. Apparently, not only did he feel like a caged animal, he probably
looked like one, which was making some of the natives restless. Brody
answered the phone. “I caught him on a Wells Fargo Bank camera in the
Castro neighborhood, but lost him again after that. We’ll find him, Cade.
I’ve got several computers constantly running the search function
automatically. I’ve got Landon working on it and my tech guys and the help
of everyone there will definitely make a difference. The more eyes we have
on the cameras, the better.”
“I know you’re doing everything you can. I’ll see if I can get my Dad
and one of my brothers to head over to the Castro district and drive around
in the neighborhood on the off chance that they find the car, so let me know
if you have any more random sightings. I thought about what you said
regarding back tracing the unknown number from Braden’s phone. You said
that if it’s not actively being used, it’s nearly impossible to trace. What if I
called it or texted it?”
The silence on the other end didn’t bode well, but then he heard
Brody suck in a deep breath. “OK, yeah, that’s a possibility, but if you call
and he doesn’t answer, we won’t get anything. If you text and he eventually
answers, it will be hit or miss. I’d have to edit my program to ping that
phone every second after you send your texts, so that when a text is sent
back to you from his phone, my program can ping it as it’s being received
and then trace it back. Let me start working on that. It shouldn’t take long
for me to edit my program, maybe an hour or two. Don’t take any action
yet. Let me get working on this, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
 Braden woke up with a jolt when he felt someone slapping his face.
He was completely confused, felt sick, and his wrist hurt like a bitch. He
heard Eric’s voice. Wait, Eric’s voice? What the fuck was…. Then, it came
back to him again, this time in pieces, or more accurately, in snapshots of
what had happened since he’d gotten in that damned car, and he groaned
from pain, frustration, and anger at what he’d gotten himself into. “Wake
up! You didn’t hit your head that hard in the car, there’s no reason for you to
be fucking sleeping right now!”
Braden groggily turned to look at the clock and realized it was after 5
p.m. He saw another water bottle on the nightstand table that apparently had
been righted. He reached to grab it, putting weight on his left arm and
realized his mistake when daggers of pain lanced his whole arm from
fingers to shoulder. He wrenched himself back and lay there hoping the pain
would subside, but it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere any time soon.
He gave up on the idea of water even though he was extremely thirsty, and
he moved to get more comfortable, maybe get some more sleep. He
couldn’t understand why Eric was so confused about how tired he was. He
was sure he’d been drugged. He felt so sick to his stomach, that it seemed
like the only explanation, unless he hit his head harder than he thought and
had a concussion, which seemed possible and might explain a lot of his
symptoms.
Eric shoved a tray next to Braden’s pillow on the bed. “I made you a
microwave dinner. You need to eat. You need to stay awake. We need to
talk.”
Braden took one whiff of the meal and promptly lost whatever had
been in his stomach all over the dinner tray. Eric screamed at him in disgust
and shoved a trash can into his face; he grabbed it and continued to be sick
into the can. Eventually, between bouts of nausea, Eric brought him into the
bathroom and left him there, muttering under his breath that he wasn’t a
fucking nursemaid and Braden better get his shit together.
He lay on the cool tile of the bathroom floor, feeling stabbing pain in
his stomach and his wrist. His skin felt tight, dry and hot, like he had a
sunburn. Maybe he had the flu. His stomach revolted again, and he was
barely able to get himself positioned over the toilet in time. He felt short of
breath and disoriented.
Eric came into the bathroom and kicked his calf. “What’s wrong with
you? If you’re faking this shit, I’m gonna beat the hell out of you!”
He didn’t have the energy to move, let alone react to Eric’s anger and
accusations. He heard Eric muttering in the bedroom and then it was quiet
again. He knew something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t concentrate long
enough to think about what was going on. Most likely it was a concussion.
He’d had them before, and most of his symptoms fit. He felt as if he could
doze off again, lying on his side on the cold tile floor. He just couldn’t seem
to keep himself awake and didn’t really know why he should try, at that
point. Hell, if he did, he might find himself getting beaten again, and he
didn’t think his body could take much more.

In the confines of the café’s little office, Cade was afforded a small
bit of isolation. He felt uneasy, and it was such a rare feeling for him that he
needed to sequester himself for this possible conversation to come. As
private as he’d like this to be, he had an audience of one in Brody, who had
been able to update his program to hopefully catch Eric’s location if he
responded to any of Cade’s attempts to communicate. His first try at
communication was going to be a direct call to Eric’s phone. If he didn’t get
a response, he’d leave a message on the off chance Eric would listen to it.
Brody had given him the go ahead. He was monitoring Braden’s phone and
his computer was pinging it for return signals.
Cade dialed the number and listened to the phone ring, and ring, and
ring. Finally, a computer modulated female voice repeated the phone
number and a beep sounded. He took a quiet, deep breath, and began.
“Hello, Eric, we haven’t been formally introduced. My name is Zavier
McCade. I’m Braden’s partner, and I guess you could also call me his
personal guard. It seems you felt comfortable taking something that doesn’t
belong to you, which is going to be the biggest mistake you have ever
made. Right about now, Braden is probably experiencing insulin
withdrawals, as you’ve kidnapped him without ensuring that he has access
to his basic medical needs. The longer he goes without insulin the worse his
symptoms will get, until he lapses into a diabetic coma, which may cause
brain damage and if left untreated, death.”
Cade’s hand curled into a tight fist, his anger palpable. “Let me be
perfectly clear, Mr. Pollard, if he lapses into a coma and he does not receive
immediate medical attention; if he suffers brain damage or if he dies, there
is no place you can go, nowhere you can hide that I cannot find you. Google
my name, Mr. Pollard, and understand me fully when I say that you will be
hunted down, and you will be killed viciously and painfully. Heed this
warning, Mr. Pollard, and take this threat very seriously. Return Braden to
me alive, or you’ll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your short
life.”
He hung up the phone, expelling a heavy breath, his body tense. He
turned quickly when he heard a shoe scuff behind him. He found himself
looking into the eyes of his horrified mother and immediately regretted not
locking the door. He opened his mouth to apologize for what she had to
overhear, but she looked down, not meeting his eyes. “I’m sorry to
interrupt. I didn’t know you were on the phone. I was coming in to see if
you’d like us to pick you up some dinner. No one really wants to cook right
now, everyone seems too anxious, I guess.”
Cade interrupted her rambling. “Mom, look at me. Sit down across
from me, and look at me, Mom. I’m still your son. I’m still the same one
you came to help today. The same one who sends you flowers on your
birthday, Valentine’s day, and Mother’s day.”
“I know. I know you are.”
“No, you don’t. You’re trying to reconcile the child you raised with
the man who just threatened to viciously kill a man. Maybe, after we talk,
you’ll understand. Let me show you my Braden and tell you a bit about
him.”
Cade sat next to his mom and put his arm around her to pull her close
for a kiss on her head. She leaned into him, and he handed her his iPad and
manipulated it for her, signing in to pull up Braden’s Facebook page. He
smiled when her breath caught at the first picture of Braden, which was a
close up of him and Maya, both with huge smiles, him hugging her from
behind. He flipped to another one of him sitting next to his grandmother,
holding her hand and tilting his head towards hers. He moved on to many
others, Braden in his running gear, Braden in his baker’s apron, Braden
dressed to kill, sitting on the countertop of his kitchen island.
His mom had her hand over her heart, and he knew she was thinking
how beautiful Braden was, and hopefully she could see exactly what he saw
in Braden. She looked up into Cade’s eyes. “How tall is he?”
Cade chuckled at that. “He’s shorter than you are. He’s 5’9”, and he’s
extremely fit and while he’s rather slim, he’s also muscular. His diabetes
keeps him very disciplined with his eating, but it’s his running, coupled
with his stretching, yoga, and Pilates that really keeps him so healthy. He’s
just as beautiful inside, as he is outside, maybe more so. The first time I saw
Braden, everything in the background went fuzzy and all I could see was
him. Something in me recognized something in him, Mom. It’s the only
way I can explain it. All I do know for sure is that he’s the love of my life
and I’d do absolutely anything for him.”
He went on to tell her all about Braden’s accomplishments with his
business. He talked about Braden’s life growing up, his friendship with
Maya, and his diabetes and migraines. He told her how hard he worked and
how much he stressed and initially how hard it was for Braden to trust him
and accept help from him, but how he finally let down his walls and let
Cade in.
He shared with his mother all of the things he’d kept to himself since
he’d met Braden. He knew one day he’d be having this conversation with
her, he’d just had no idea it would be under such dire circumstances. He set
the iPad aside, faced his mom and took one of her hands in his. He hated to
put the thoughts in her head, but he didn’t see another way. Looking into
her eyes, he took a deep breath and did what he felt he needed to do, in
order for her to hopefully understand, if only just a little bit.
“What if Rowan found herself in an abusive relationship, and wanted
to get out of it? What if she told him she was leaving and he beat her and
raped her? Let’s say she even went to the hospital alone for her injuries and
a rape kit, but never told anyone about it. And what if, over a year later, her
ex decided to stalk her and kidnap her, and quite possibly kill her? How
would you and dad react?”
His mom had gripped his hand hard with hers as soon as he
mentioned rape, and her free hand flew up to her lips, pressing down there
while tears rolled down her cheeks. It killed him, seeing her pain and regret
coursed through him. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have used Ro as my
example, that was inexcusable, putting those thoughts in your head. I just
didn’t know how else to explain everything that’s going on and where my
heart is. If I lose him, Mom… If I lose Braden, I lose myself.”
“Oh, honey. That poor boy.” His mom drew him into her and hugged
him tight. After a moment she pulled back, fury in her eyes, her body full of
angry tension. “You get him back, Zavier. Whatever it takes, you bring your
boy home and you destroy the man that took him.”
Cade hugged her tight and sighed. “That’s my plan.”
It felt good, her support and love. He felt like the phone call and
voicemail he’d left and his conversation with his mom was a step forward
and he just hoped he’d get a response from Eric. His mom left the room
with his food order, and he placed a call to Brody. Brody let Cade know it
was OK to send whatever texts he wanted to send, so he sent several
succinct texts making sure to mention insulin withdrawals and diabetic
comas. He’d rattled that cage, and hopefully it would prove fruitful. He
went back into the kitchen to resume his search for the stolen Honda.

OceanofPDF.com
 Eric couldn’t believe the bullshit he was dealing with. He finally had
Braden back where he belonged and what the fuck did he have to show for
it? Braden wasn’t reacting to anything he said, he wasn’t speaking to him,
he wasn’t looking at him, he wasn’t even responding when he was being
shown the proper way to act. He’d always counted on Braden’s reactions to
his discipline because he loved the way he could mold Braden’s behavior
into what he wanted it to be.
He’d planned for this day for so god damned long, and instead of
making sure Braden understood why he’d been so wrong to leave, so wrong
to threaten him with that silly video of their heated exchange followed by
their lovemaking, here Braden was, lying on the bathroom floor vomiting
more than anyone he’d ever seen vomit. He was so pissed off he wanted to
beat Braden’s ass, and he would, but he wasn’t going to get himself covered
in vomit. He’d wait him out, wait for him to be done being sick and then
he’d fucking teach him a lesson.
As much as he didn’t like the timing, he could be understanding
enough about Braden getting sick, but when he was well, they’d be having a
conversation about how their future would go, and Braden would realize the
mistakes he’d made. Eric would be damned sure to force Braden to make
up for his poor choices. He’d been so angry when he’d found that video and
Braden’s letter. He’d practically ripped his townhouse apart and broken
every breakable thing within reach. However, that was also the day he’d
vowed to himself that he’d figure out a way, a way to get past the barrier of
that video and what it could mean for his future, if it got out; a way to get
Braden back into his life permanently, no matter what it took; and a way to
punish him for thinking he could ever leave him.
He’d gotten fired from his job because of that fucking piss-ant Intake
Advocate. He almost decided to teach that little shit a lesson he wouldn’t
forget, but that would have to come later. He realized after he was let go
that it might be a blessing in disguise. They said he’d be allowed to leave
with the official story a secret because he’d put in so many years, they
figured they were doing him a solid. The real story was that little fucker had
manipulated events to reflect poorly on him. In the end they let him know
they wouldn’t provide him with a recommendation, but they wouldn’t let
anyone know he had been fired either. He could very easily settle in another
city and use his position there on a resume, excusing his missing time as a
family emergency. All he needed before he moved away was Braden, once
again by his side, where he belonged.
He’d wanted to slowly ease himself back into Braden’s life. He’d
decided he was going to keep an eye on him, make sure he was free and
wasn’t fucking some schmuck that he’d have to take care of and get through
in order to finally have Braden back. When he’d started watching him, he’d
finally felt right. He’d finally felt like he was doing what needed to be done.
Pretty soon, he couldn’t help himself; he started leaving little notes and love
letters for him. He’d done it for months, and then the day came when he
saw a man carry Braden from right outside of the café over to his house,
and he’d seen red.
That huge man had picked his Braden up like he was his to take care
of, his to nurture, and his to love. Braden had been sick in the fucking gutter
of all places, with his little twit friend Maya trailing along. That giant of a
man had picked him up, and he could have sworn the man had kissed him
on the forehead and nuzzled him, while whispering something to him. He
almost lost it then and there. Who the fuck was this guy? Where had he
come from? Who the fuck did he think he was, touching Braden, like only
Eric was allowed to? He’d decided his waiting was over, and he’d begun to
make plans.
That little mother fucker had finally gotten into a relationship and of
course, the asshole had to be some huge jock type. Not that it scared Eric,
muscle bound idiots were just that, stupid caveman that didn’t know their
dicks from their brains, and Eric knew he wouldn’t be a problem. What
pissed him off is that he was never away from Braden. It seemed like that
huge fucker had literally popped into Braden’s life and taken residence, and
he didn’t look like he was budging. Eric had even seen them start to hold
hands. However, maybe, just maybe, it was all an act, because all of a
sudden there were three other men around, going in and out of Braden’s
home and café and wasn’t that just so interesting? Maybe Braden was
getting a little scared and had hired some two bit bodyguards to protect him.
Once he’d figured that out, he’d been thrilled, and he’d begun to
make some noise. He wanted to be heard, and he wanted to shake up the
status quo. Oh yes, he was going to have everyone on their toes, and then he
was gonna do what he did best, manipulate Braden using his biggest
weaknesses, his love for his family and friends. If those muscle bound
jokers thought they were a match for him, they’d be surprised how quick
and painless his check mate was going to be, whisking Braden away from
them all with barely any effort on his part.
It had worked, too, but again, he hadn’t been counting on Braden
developing the fucking flu or god knows what. He’d given him some soup,
and that had stayed down for all of 30 minutes. He’d tried to give him
crackers and some fruit and that had come up, too. He was drinking a lot of
water, but when Braden did try to eat, it wasn’t much, and it all came back
up. Now it was just a matter of bile and mostly dry retching, so fucking
disgusting. He’d had to check on him and move him from bed to bathroom
four times in so many hours.
Finally, he’d just left him there, and he’d been in there, on the floor,
for hours now. Jesus, he could still hear him retching through the walls of
this ugly fucking cheap ass house he was renting. Not that he was really
complaining. He knew he was damned lucky to have found this place. He’d
been driving along, in one of his stolen cars, going through some of the
rental listings, when he’d come upon one of the locations and knocked on
the door of the owner. It had been some little old lady who had been more
than happy to accept six months’ rent under the table, in cash.
He’d grown a beard and then dyed all of his hair a dark brown and
had added a bit of weight to his middle by stuffing a very small pillow
under his t-shirt and then covering both with a hoodie. He’d made himself
look like a hairy, chubby, trustworthy guy who just moved into the city to
find a new job. He’d even offered to take care of the yard work himself, so
no one would disturb him. The old broad had eaten his story up, said he
looked like her grandson and even offered him coffee and cookies of all
things, stupid bitch. But, it all worked out, because he had a place to hide
that was off the books and a place to bring Braden, before they made their
move out of town together.
It was close to midnight, and after about 30 minutes of silence, he
went into the bathroom and was horrified to find vomit and bile all over the
bathroom floor and also on Braden’s shirt. Braden seemed to be asleep.
Disgusted, he dragged Braden out of the bathroom by his feet. Realizing he
was just dragging him through his vomit, he yelled and kicked Braden’s
thigh. When he did that, Braden’s body rolled so he was on his back, and he
realized that sometime during his vomit fest, he’d fucking peed himself.
Just great, he didn’t want to deal with this bullshit right now!
Finally, he yanked Braden’s clothes off, picked him up and dropped
him into the tub and turned on the shower to rid him of most of the filth
stuck to his skin. He wasn’t about to actually clean him with soap; the water
would have to do. After several minutes he realized Braden hadn’t even
reacted to the cold water like he’d hoped he would, and he saw Braden’s
lips turn blue so he dragged him out of the shower, dried him off as much as
his patience would allow, and then picked him up under his arms, and
dragged him back to the bed. Normally he’d be taking advantage of a naked
Braden, but he looked pathetic and still smelled like a god damned sewer.
He didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about what was going on
with Braden, because if he did, he’d freak the fuck out. He’d done all of
that and Braden hadn’t reacted at all, almost like he was not just sleeping,
but passed out or something.
He was about to crawl into bed next to Braden when he realized he
wanted to check his email for any responses to his inquiries in Seattle
regarding rentals and jobs, as he’d decided that was far enough to get
himself and Braden away from their California lives. He went searching for
his phone and couldn’t find it. He smirked when he realized the last time
he’d used it, and went out to his latest stolen piece of shit car, and grabbed
his phone, which of course was dead. He plugged it in and managed to
clean up the rest of Braden’s mess in the bathroom before getting himself
ready for bed. He got in beside Braden, but instead of getting close to him,
he kept his distance, wary of being vomited on during the night.
 Their SUV rental with the slashed tires had been picked up and
replaced with another. Braden’s SUV would be returned with new tires the
next day. It was after midnight and Cade was driving around town looking
for the blue Honda with Cooper. He’d wanted to go out alone, but Cooper
had insisted on tagging along, and he honestly didn’t have the energy to
fight him. He knew Brody was doing his best; hell, everyone was doing
their best, searching all available cameras. They’d been lucky several times
and had gone out each time to search in the areas where the car had been
spotted. At the moment they were once again passing through the three
areas where the cameras had spotted the car to be sure no one had missed
anything. Frankly, he couldn’t sit at the damned computer any longer
without taking some sort of action, even if they were just chasing pavement
for a second time around.
He glanced over at Cooper and saw he was texting someone. “Any
updates?”
“No. Nothing new from Brody or the others.”
Cade saw in Cooper’s eyes that this situation wasn’t just fucking him
up, it was messing with Cooper as well. Cooper had finally gotten Maya to
agree to Finn’s suggestion of taking an Ambien to help her sleep right
before they’d left. Braden’s grandmother had told Maya in no uncertain
terms that they were opening the café in the morning, and she was going to
do the baking. After that assertion, she’d turned to Finn. “You’re the doctor,
right? Good. I need an Ambien, young man, or something of the like. I
couldn’t sleep now if I tried, but I’m too damned old to stay up all night and
then work all day tomorrow. So you’re just gonna have to give me a
prescription for something tonight.”
Finn had raised an eyebrow at her demand, but answered promptly,
“Yes, ma’am,” while digging out his prescription pad. He’d asked his mom
and sister to go pick up the prescription, and he’d gotten enough for several
people for several nights. Both Nana and Maya were out cold, along with
Cade’s mom, which was good. Cade, and of course, Cooper, had rejected
the offer and instead, drove out in their new rental. They’d ordered Sawyer
and Jackson to get some rack time as well, while they went out to do some
more searching, but his men wouldn’t need Ambien to sleep. They’d all
been trained in the Army to get sleep when and where they could, so falling
asleep and waking immediately to be ready to go at a moment’s notice was
second nature to all of them.
Hopefully those that could rest, would. Cade was wide awake and
had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he tried, but he knew he
wouldn’t allow himself that luxury, not when Braden was out there
probably being beaten to shit and dealing with insulin withdrawals. Fuck,
he couldn’t take it anymore and pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’m
sorry it’s so late. No, Braden was taken. Yes, Cooper and I both do. Ten
minutes. Thanks.”
Pulling a U-turn, Cade went the other way. It took Cooper a minute.
“Vaughn’s?”
Cade nodded his head, and they both settled more comfortably into
their seats, a bit more relaxed, knowing they were going to be able to work
off some of the stress at the gym. They got there quickly and didn’t have to
wait. Vaughn was already there. Cade stepped out of the SUV, approached
Vaughn with his hand outstretched to clasp the fighter’s. “I didn’t even
think to ask if you had Mikayla. Sorry, man.”
“I’d have spoken up, no need to worry about that. She’s with her
mom this weekend. Talk to me,” he demanded, as he turned towards his
gym and took them inside. Cade explained everything that happened so far
while he and Cooper changed into some of Vaughn’s gym gear to get ready
to work off some of the stress that weighed him down.
“Fuck man, that’s awful. Look, I know it’s not much, but I’ve called a
couple of my guys. I’ve got them managing the gym for me tomorrow so
that I can be available for you. I’ll just plan on following you back to the
café tonight. Another set of eyes for the computer, a driver to check the
places that the camera caught the car, a tester for some pastries, a distraction
for Coop’s sister or Braden’s grandmother, whatever you need from me.”
Cade felt humbled by the offer, though he wasn’t the least bit
surprised by it. He was incredibly lucky to have generous and supportive
friends and family. Everyone was dropping everything to help him and
Braden, and he knew he’d do the same for them in return. He got himself
psyched up for a beat down. Both Vaughn and Cooper knew he needed to
get out his anger, frustration, and stress, so they’d both be coming at him
hard.
They all warmed up on both the speed bags and the heavy bags
before going at it. Cade sparred with Vaughn first, while Cooper lifted some
weights. Neither of them pulled any punches, and the match was fairly
even. Cade had size and strength on his side and some tricky Krav Maga
moves that he pulled out in the end, but even so, if they were being ref’d, he
wasn’t sure who would have won. He was tired, but nowhere near
exhausted. He needed to feel dead on his feet in order to release the kind of
stress he was storing. He took a small break, got some water, walked it off,
and then met Cooper in the ring. Cooper was a dirty fighter, and he was
stressed for Maya and Braden as well, so that match was also pretty even.
In the end, they’d both worn him out, and that’s exactly what he’d needed.
After showering and putting their street clothes back on, they left for
the café--Cooper behind the wheel of their SUV and Vaughn got in his own
car. By the time they got back they’d been gone for nearly four hours.
Cade’s dad and older brother were out checking in another neighborhood
where a 7-Eleven’s camera had caught a glimpse of Eric’s car. No other
updates of note had occurred.
Finn approached both Cade and Cooper after they’d checked in with
the rest of the crew that was still working in the kitchen of the café. “Zavier,
Cooper, can I ask you both to get some rest?”
“Finn, I’m not going to sleep when Braden is out there, possibly
being beaten to death, if a diabetic coma doesn’t do it first.”
“Zavier, listen to me and listen good, we’re gonna find Braden. I’d be
willing to place a bet on that, but when we do, he’s gonna be in bad shape.
There’s no avoiding that, as too much time has passed for him to have
avoided insulin withdrawals. Everyone is doing everything they can and
none of us would let you down. If anything happens, you know one of us
will wake you. But right now, for your health, you need to get some sleep.
I’m asking for at least four hours, preferably six. I can tell you now that
you’ll be operating on all cylinders only if you get some sleep right now,
and Braden’s going to need you the second he’s found. You can’t help him
if you’ve gotten yourself too tired to do what needs to be done.”
Cade was getting pissed at Finn’s suggestion that he wouldn’t be
there for Braden and he was about to say as much, when Cooper interrupted
him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. “Cade, he’s not trying to insult
you and insinuate that you wouldn’t be there for Braden. He’s trying to
ensure that when Braden needs you, you’re at your best. Why don’t you get
some rack time; I’ll stay up. I can sleep once we’ve got Braden back and
into the hospital, but Finn’s right, you won’t be able to sleep when most of
us will. Once Braden is found, you’re on deck and I know you, you’ll stay
on until he’s home and no longer in danger, which means you’ll need this
sleep, because you may not get any for days.”
He wanted to argue. The thought of heading to bed and getting some
sleep when Braden was hurting and needing him almost killed him.
However, he also knew that if situations were reversed and this was
happening to one of his guys, he’d be saying the same damn thing to them.
He knew Braden was going to need him at his best, and that’s the only thing
that got him nodding, heading across the street, and climbing into Braden’s
bed. He plugged both his phone and Braden’s phone into their chargers and
left their volumes set to high. After he set his watch to wake him in six
hours, knowing he’d probably wake automatically in four, he forced himself
to turn his mind off and was out in less than two minutes.

NO! Just. Fucking. No! This wasn’t fucking happening. It wasn’t.

After all the planning, all the bullshit, living in this god damned sty, driving
pathetic ten-year-old stolen cars, being fired from his job, left by an
ungrateful son of a bitch who threatened him with exposure, and this was
how it all pans out? There was no fucking way this was his reality. Eric
stared at his phone in disbelief. He’d had five texts when he’d turned on his
freshly charged phone that morning, a fact that rattled him more than he
cared to admit, because absolutely no one knew the number.
He’d read all of the texts, each one bringing with it more information
than the next, information he didn’t want, information that filled him with
an insane anger he hadn’t had since the day he’d come home to find Braden
really had gone, a video left in his place. How in the fuck had he forgotten
about his goddamned diabetes? The laundry list of the shit he was in was
long: insulin withdrawals, coma, brain damage, death, a long ass list of
other symptoms, every one of which Braden had already suffered, he’d be
willing to bet.
He went back to his home screen, and his heart stuttered in his chest.
He had a voicemail. There could be nothing good in it, nothing. His thumb
hovered over the delete icon, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Taking
several deep breaths, he pushed the speaker icon and then the play icon. The
voice that came through those speakers was one he never wanted to hear
face to face. When he imagined the man Braden was with, he did not
imagine that just hearing his guttural, angry voice would make his stomach
twist. His heart was beating ten times its normal speed. He’d never been
threatened like that before; he’d always been the one to do the threatening.
His mouth grew dry, and his hands began to shake.
He listened again, in complete disbelief that this was happening. The
instructions to Google his name nagged at him, almost daring him to do it,
so he did, to his utter regret. He searched for Xavier McKade, but even his
misspelling wasn’t a deterrent to seeing a nightmare spread before him.
What came back made his skin crawl: Showing results for Zavier McCade,
of which there were many links, including pictures to verify his identity
and, of all things, a Wikipedia page. Wiki-fucking-pedia, for fucks sake!
The more he read the more he felt like he was going to have a vomit fest of
his own. His whole body broke out in a cold sweat as he read. The
information got worse and worse, and words popped out at him like little
daggers: West Point, micro-electrical engineering degree, US Army, Green
Beret, Special Forces, Army Distinguished Service Medal, two Silver Star
Medals, two Bronze Star Medals, Millionaire, McCade Watches, Co-Owner
Custos Securities, specialist and ranked in Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, and Muay
Thai.
 He turned back towards the bed and glared at the person who in the
last 20 minutes had rapidly become the bane of his existence. It was well
after 9 a.m., and all of a sudden he felt time ticking away. He needed to get
rid of Braden and he needed to do it in a way that ensured McCade would
know, in order to avoid more of a man hunt for him than was already in
effect. He grabbed some sweats and a t-shirt and struggled to get a
comatose Braden into the clothing. Dragging him out to the garage, Eric
stuffed him in the back seat and covered him from head to toe with a
blanket.
In a full on panic, he drove faster than was wise through the streets of
San Francisco, back towards the café. Two streets west of the cafe, he
pulled into a parking spot on a side street under the shadow of some trees
lining the sidewalk. He pulled up his hoodie, covered his ball cap, stepped
out of the car and walked away. Only after he had walked ten blocks from
the car and hopped a bus to the opposite side of town, did he pull out his
cell phone and send a text.

OceanofPDF.com
 Cade was in the office when his phone pinged a new text. He pulled
it out of his pocket to see a black screen and immediately his heart started
hammering in his chest. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out
Braden’s phone and saw there was a text just before the screen turned black.
He swiped it open, put in Braden’s passcode, and opened his messages.
He’d finally gotten a response and it was only two words: Lapidge Street,
but those two words made him weak with relief.
He burst out of the office and ran to the kitchen, surprising those that
were in there working. Everyone stood when they saw his face. He looked
Cooper in the eye. “Get Detective Miller on the line. Have him send an
ambulance to Lapidge Street. I don’t know where that is, or how long it will
take us to get there, but get Finn, and I’ll find it on GPS.”
Cooper was already on the phone and headed out to grab Finn from
Maya’s place. On his way out the door, Cade turned to Nana. “I don’t know
what we’ll find, or even if he’s physically there. We will call here and tell
you and Maya which hospital to come to when we find him.”
The strain of the last 24 hours was reflected in her scared, wide eyed
gaze. “This was my old neighborhood. Lapidge is just a few streets over
from here. Please, find our boy.”
Cade nodded solemnly at her before he ran out the door toward their
SUV, hopped into the passenger side and pulled out his phone. He had a
text.
 Brody: I’ve got him. You worry about getting to Braden, I’ll
worry about tracking Eric. I’ll be in touch.
Feeling a bit relieved that Brody was on Eric’s trail, he got to work
and searched for Lapidge on his phone’s Google Maps app., Nana was
right; it wasn’t far. He glanced up, when he heard Cooper open the driver’s
door and climb in. Finn got into the back seat with his medical bag. Cooper
cranked the engine on and hauled ass out onto the street. Cade gave him
directions, and less than five minutes later they were turning onto a tree
lined street, moving slowly, searching for Braden or signs of the car.
Cade shot out of the still moving SUV when he saw a blue Honda up
ahead. He almost fell to his knees when he recognized the license plate. He
heard a siren in the distance and wondered if he’d have to break into the car.
He didn’t see anyone in the front seats. When he glanced in the back and
saw what he thought was a bundle of blankets, he took a second look and
saw Braden’s bare foot peeking out from under the bundle of cloth on the
opposite side of the car. He yanked frantically at the back door, not really
expecting it to be unlocked, but relieved when it was. In seconds he’d
removed the blanket and was kneeling down, breath sawing in and out of
his lungs. He leaned over Braden’s inert form, feeling for a pulse with
shaky fingers, and kissing his forehead, tears in his eyes, his voice a shaky
whisper. “I’m here, you’re gonna be alright, baby. I love you. Oh god,
Braden, I love you. Don’t give up, baby.”
His skin was hot to the touch, but he didn’t move or react at all to
Cade’s words. Cade almost passed out from relief when he felt Braden’s
pulse, and then nearly took Finn’s head off when he tugged on his shoulder
to pull him away from Braden.
“Zavier, move back. The EMTs are here and they need to help him.”
 Reluctantly, Cade moved back and allowed the EMTs access to
Braden. He heard his brother talking to the EMTs in medical jargon, but
only some words made it into his head before he moved aside: diabetic
ketoacidosis, coma, and physical trauma. Another EMT followed with a
wheeled stretcher, and he hung back, watching the two men and a woman
treat Braden. When they began to slowly remove him from the car and
place him on the stretcher, he rushed to Braden’s side. He ignored the
medical speak and anything else going on around him. He followed them to
the ambulance, and when one of the male EMTs tried to stop him from
getting in the ambulance, he took an aggressive step forward into the
EMT’s personal space, and used his size to intimidate the smaller man, who
backpedaled in panic. Cooper and Finn held him back as they both tried to
talk him down.
He heard Detective Miller speak over the din. “Let him go with you.
Mr. Cross is under protective custody. Mr. McCade must stay with him at
all times, as his kidnapper is still at large. Pass this information along to the
hospital, as well. They are not to be separated, understood?”
The male EMT gave Cade a cautiously curious look. “Sure thing,
Detective.”
Cade stared at the detective, incredulous that he had essentially
stepped in and fixed any further issues that Cade would have as merely
Braden’s partner, with no legal right to stay by his side. He glanced over
and nodded his head at the detective in gratitude and got the same nod back
in return. He climbed into the ambulance and sat at the back of the vehicle
by Braden’s head and did his best to keep his large frame from getting in
the way. Once they were on the move, he pulled his phone out of his pocket
and dialed Cooper.
 He spoke in Dari, so the EMTs wouldn’t have anything to report to
the cop. He hadn’t wanted to speak directly in front of the detective, even if
he was speaking in another language, as the guy would immediately be
suspicious and know Cade was keeping information from him regarding the
case. Not to mention the cop had just done him a solid, and he didn’t want
to insult him.
“Call Maya and Nana, let them know we found him and what
hospital we’re going to. Brody is tracking Eric; check in with him for
progress reports and get back to me, but I expect to be in on taking that
fucker down. It doesn’t happen without me. If he looks like a flight risk,
call me.”
Cooper responded in the same language, agreeing to keep him
apprised of the situation with Eric and let him know they’d be at the
hospital soon. Cade ignored the curious looks from the EMTs and placed
his hand on Braden’s head, keeping a connection with him the whole way to
the hospital.
When they got there, they took Braden immediately into a trauma
room in the ER, where several doctors and nurses got to work. Cade stood
off to the side at parade rest, not saying a word, staying out of the way, but
letting everyone know he was there and wasn’t about to go anywhere.
When he’d talked to Braden about his size being intimidating and the fact
that he occasionally used that to his advantage, he was talking about
situations like this. He wanted them to know they’d be having a fight on
their hands if they asked him to leave.
Several of the hospital personnel that came in and out of the room
sent him alarmed looks, but the EMTs cleared his presence with the doctor
that met them when they arrived. One of the other doctors glanced at him,
and recognition seemed to flit over his face before he turned back to
Braden. He heard his brother’s name bandied about by the doctors there and
realized that his brother must have called in and gotten the right people on
the job, as they all started to take action on Braden immediately, taking
blood for tests, putting in an IV and starting fluids and injecting something
into the bag that was being hung from the IV stand. A small bit of the stress
he’d been carrying around left him when everyone seemed to be taking
action to help Braden.
That stress immediately came back tenfold when they began to cut
Braden out of his clothes to search for any and all injuries. The first thing
he realized, and wondered why it hadn’t occurred to him already, was that
Braden was wearing clothes that were not his. That fact made him sick to
his stomach, and he stepped forward, without thinking, and was
immediately held back by Cooper and his brother. He’d had no clue they’d
even arrived. He shook with anger and meeting Finn’s eyes, ground out,
“Those aren’t his clothes, Finn. He could have… He could have been…”
His breath came out in a shaky whoosh as he let it out and gulped air back
in. “They need to bag those clothes. They need to…”
“Stand down, Zavier. I understand what you’re saying, and I promise
you that I will see to it that this is handled properly. Do you want me
directly involved in his care down here before they take him to ICU?”
“Yes. I need you to ensure everything that can be done for him is
done, whether you supervise it because there’s someone better suited to the
job, or do it yourself, I don’t care.
Finn nodded. “Give me a minute.”
Finn intercepted one of the doctors, and they had a whispered
conversation. Cade heard rape kit, DNA swabs, physical and sexual trauma,
and then he tuned out, unable to listen anymore to the reality that was
stretching out before him. He took another step forward and was held back
again by Cooper. He turned towards his best friend, a man he considered a
brother, and the anguished look on Cooper’s face about did him in, knowing
that if Cooper looked that devastated, he wasn’t faring any better.
Time seemed to stand still for him, as he watched them cut away all
of the clothing and put it in brown paper bags marked EVIDENCE. Plastic
bags were brought out of a box, along with swabs and glass slides. His
knees grew weak, and he had to lock them in place to stay standing, as
hospital personnel went about the task of treating Braden and also gathering
evidence.
When they’d done the invasive tests on Braden, he and Cooper turned
their backs to give Braden privacy, regardless of his state of consciousness.
His brother had long since donned doctor’s scrubs and helped with the
evidence gathering, but unbeknownst to Cade, had also turned his back
when his colleagues had done the invasive tests checking for any signs of
sexual assault. One of the doctors tapped Finn on the shoulder, letting him
know it was safe for him to turn around. They had a whispered
conversation, and Finn approached Cade. “Zavier, you can turn around.”
When Cade did, along with Cooper, he saw the look in his brother’s
eyes and wasn’t sure how to read his expression. There was a small bit of
relief, but there was also a lot of tension remaining, and he stayed silent
waiting for an explanation. Finn led him to a chair that had just been
brought into the trauma room next to Braden’s bed, and he pushed Cade
down onto it, pulled a rolling chair forward and sat himself as he began to
talk.
“The good news is that there is no evidence showing sexual assault.
However, I’m afraid the good news stops there. I know you’re aware, by
now, that Braden is in a diabetic coma. For type 1 diabetics, what causes the
coma is diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. Knowing you, you researched DKA
and I don’t have to explain it, correct?”
When Cade nodded, Finn continued, “He’s being treated right now
with isotonic IV fluids, electrolytes with supplements and insulin. He will
be very carefully monitored to ensure that these methods are working to
bring his body back from being insulin deprived. Once his body has
stabilized from the treatment, we will hopefully see him pull out of the
coma, but it may take some time. Hopefully we caught it early enough that
there will not be any brain damage as a result of the coma. Now, I know
you need information; it’s part of what helps you function in high stress
situations, but I have to ask you to think about this question before
answering. Do you want me to walk you through all of the physical trauma
he’s sustained?”
Cade rested his elbows on his knees, his head falling low. He rubbed
his face with his hands and clasped them behind his head. He sat for several
minutes, just breathing, trying to calm the inner turmoil of hearing all of
that information, still not knowing if Braden was going to come out of this
without long lasting effects. He looked at his brother imploringly. “I have to
know. You know that, Finn. I have to know.”
Finn took a deep breath, and nodded his acknowledgement. “Why
don’t you pull your chair up to Braden right now, and hold his hand. It will
help you feel grounded and close to him, and my own opinion is that coma
patients are sometimes aware of the world around them, including the sense
of touch, smell and hearing, so this can help him as well.”
Grateful for his brother’s understanding of his needs, he nodded and
stood to pick up the chair and move it closer to Braden’s side. He sat again,
clasped Braden’s hand gently in his. He teared up when he saw how pale
Braden’s skin was, how small his hand looked in his own, much bigger one.
He noticed the bruises on his wrist and took in a shaky breath, to keep
himself under control. He leaned down and rested his forehead on their
clasped hands, and waited for his brother to start.
“Braden sustained head injuries—three distinct bumps on his temple
—that caused a concussion. He received a contusion to the upper eyelid and
on his eyebrow that caused his brow to split open. He was given a couple
stitches there. His right wrist has some bruising. His left wrist was broken
and has been placed in a cast. He sustained contusions on his lower chest on
the left side around his ribs; however, after they brought in the portable X-
ray, they ruled out any fractures there. He also has several contusions on his
legs. That’s where it ends, but you know these injuries will take some time
to heal, so it’s really just the beginning for him. He’s gotten excellent care
here and will continue to receive it under my direct supervision. I asked
them to give us a bit of time for me to explain this to you, but we need to
move Braden to the ICU, so that we can free this trauma room. The staff
there has been prepped to care for him, and his room will be private,
allowing you to stay with him at all times. They’ve been made aware of the
situation with Eric and will not try to keep you from him, for any reason.”
Cade looked at his brother and nodded his understanding. Finn
opened the door and spoke quietly to someone on the other side. A few
nursing assistants came in and prepped Braden for his move and minutes
later, they rolled him into the elevator to take him to the ICU several floors
up. Cade stayed with him during the transition to his room, and Braden was
transferred gently to the big hospital bed, which dwarfed him and seemed to
emphasize his vulnerability. The bright, fluorescent lights amplified the
paleness of Braden’s skin and Cade felt reality bear down on him, almost
crippling in its weight. He took a deep breath, doing his best to set his
worries aside for now. He dimmed the overhead lights in the room, letting
the natural light take over.
The room was rather large, the bed on the left side, the back wall was
mostly windows, under which was a long built-in couch that ran the width
of the room. There was a fairly comfortable looking, padded, reclining chair
that looked as if it might lay flat for another sleeping surface in addition to
the sofa. He wasn’t sure if Cooper would be able to talk Maya out of
spending the night here with Braden, so at least there was a place for both
of them to rest if need be. There were already flowers on the windowsill,
behind the sofa. The artwork was fairly modern, and the room was painted a
sage green.
He turned when there was a knock on the door and saw Cooper
opening the door for Maya and Nana. Nana looked like she’d aged five
years since yesterday, and Maya looked pale, circles ringing her eyes. Both
women gasped as they saw Braden and rushed to his side. They clasped
each other’s hands tightly to share in their combined strength as they cried
together for Braden. He saw Finn by the room entrance and told him he
wanted another recliner brought in and perhaps a couple smaller chairs if
they’d fit.
Cade approached the women and put his arms around them. He made
a mental note to have a sweater brought for Nana, as her skin was like ice.
He kissed them both on the head and continued to hold on to them, needing
the contact for himself and knowing they needed his strength as well. “How
much have you been told?”
Maya looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and spoke quietly;
almost as if Braden was just sleeping, and she didn’t want to wake him.
“Finn told us he’s in a coma, but has been treated with the meds he needs to
come out of it and that we’re just waiting. He also said Braden was beaten
up a bit and to be prepared for that.”
Looking down at Braden, her tears spilled over and she swiped them
away with one hand, as she lowered her other hand toward his bandaged
head, her fingers shaking, as she gently moved a stray lock of hair caught in
the gauze. “But how can we prepare for this?”
Her breath hitched. “I can’t prepare myself for seeing Braden beaten
and comatose! I can’t… Oh, god…Was he… Tell us the truth, how bad is it,
Cade? What can’t we see?”
Cade hugged her tighter and took a deep breath. “The things you
can’t see are the bruises around his ribs and a few on his lower legs. We
won’t know until he wakes if he has sustained brain damage as a result of
the diabetic coma; and it’s doubtful that he will come out of this without
any emotional trauma.”
At that news, it seemed like the fight went out of her and she grabbed
him around the waist to hold herself up. He could feel her shoulders
shaking and knew she was crying. He soothed her the best he could and
worked to distract her with information. “Finn says it’s important to talk to
him, that he might be able to hear us. He told me earlier to hold his hand,
because he might be able to feel it. We can also bring things in that we
know he likes to smell, because it might help if he can smell things he
loves. Those are the senses we have to work with, to do our best to help him
come around.”
Maya looked up at him with hope and a tiny smile on her face. “He
loves the smell of vanilla and baking sugar cookies. He loves the way you
smell, like sandalwood and cedar. I can bring in some of the scents he
likes.”
 Maya moved forward and sat gently on the bed by Braden and
touched his chest, his arm, and then pulled his hand into her lap and held it.
Nana leaned over and kissed his hair and then his forehead, and whispered
in his ear while she touched his face. Cade stood back and let them have
time with Braden uninterrupted. He wanted more than anything to be
touching him, talking to him, but he wasn’t going to get in the way of
Braden’s women doing their best to help heal him. He slid his hand up
Maya’s upper arm to her shoulder and squeezed. He smiled down at her.
“I’m just going to make a call, have some things brought here for Braden
and a sweater for Nana. I’ll be just outside the door, if you need me. Can I
have anything brought here for you?”
She shook her head. “Don’t bother with her bags, just have someone
go into my room and get a couple of sweaters and pillows for the chairs. At
the foot of Braden’s bed is a navy blue fleece blanket that he loves.
Whenever he’s sick, he curls up on his couch with that fleece blanket. Oh,
and have them bring his pillow. If he’s allowed his own clothes, he has a
pair of ratty old flannel PJ bottoms that are blue and green plaid and a long
sleeved Phish t-shirt that I always threaten to steal from him because it’s so
soft and comfortable. That’s his go to clothing when he’s sick. His feet are
also cold all the time, so have them bring some fleece socks for him, if they
can.”
She looked up at him after giving her list, turned red and looked
away. “Sorry. You can have them bring whatever you want for him. I just
thought…”
Cade brought her in for a tight hug and rocked her back and forth.
“It’s perfect; you’re perfect. I didn’t know all of that, and those are the exact
types of things I want brought for him, so thank you. Let me step outside in
the hall and make a call to my family to check in and give them the list of
things to bring. Take care of him while I’m away.”
Nodding, she went back to Braden’s side and sat back down on the
bed and held his hand. He stepped out into the hall and saw a nurse pushing
one of the reclining chairs towards his room. He opened the door to let her
in, thanking her. Finn and Cooper approached him and he told them
everything that he needed from home for the ladies, himself and for Braden.
Cooper said he’d call the order into Sawyer and Jackson, while Cade called
his family to update them.
He spoke to his mom, who he was happy to learn was baking some
cookies for the café with his sister, helping Layla and Zoe with keeping the
café open while everyone was at the hospital. They assured him that they
had it covered and they’d be to the hospital as soon as the café closed. His
dad and brother had been gone for some time, running an errand that they’d
kept from everyone else, which surprised Cade, but he let it go and figured
they’d tell him when they came to the hospital. He hung up just as he saw
the same nurse struggling with a couple of stacked chairs. He relieved her
of them as he thanked her again for her help and carried them into the room,
placed them against the wall on the opposite side of the bed, out of the way,
but there for when they’d be needed.
He saw that Nana was still standing and touching Braden, so he
moved the recliner directly next to the bed so that she could sit and still talk
to him and touch him. He did the same on the other side for Maya. He
backed away and sat down on the long sofa in front of the windows, leaned
back and rubbed his face. Cooper came in and nodded at him, silently
letting him know that he’d relayed the message to Jackson and Sawyer. He
walked towards the couch and sat by Cade, asked if he could bring anything
from the café downstairs. Cade figured they’d be there for the long haul so
he might as well have Cooper go outside of the hospital and get some good
food for everyone, so they didn’t have to eat the hospital food. Cooper left
to head to a local deli, and Finn came in carrying some hospital blankets for
the ladies and then joined him on the couch. They sat there for the next 30
minutes or so, watching Braden’s women tend to him, Finn, silently
supportive, and Cade, itching to be close to Braden again.
As much as he wanted to be checking in with Brody, he knew now
wasn’t the time for him to be thinking about Eric and how much he wanted
to get his hands on the man and wring the life out of him. He knew that he
couldn’t bring that anger, that need for revenge into this room. There was
already enough trauma Braden had to wade through; he didn’t need bad
energy in the room as well. Cade took some deep breaths and stood up
slowly to pace, which seemed to be a new habit he’d formed. He looked up
when he heard Cooper come into the room carrying a rather large
Styrofoam cooler with a large paper bag sitting on top of it. He walked to
the countertop that housed some cabinets and a sink and placed it there.
When he approached Cade, the look in his eyes was one of
understanding, and he put his hand on Cade’s shoulder and said exactly
what Cade needed to hear. “Listen, you don’t need to be worrying about
Eric right now. I’ll stay in contact with Brody, Sawyer and Jackson. If it’s
possible to wait on going after him until Braden is safe and well at home,
that’s what we’ll do. If it looks like he’s a flight risk, we’ll be in contact
with you immediately. I’ll be in and out of here today, checking in. There
are a ton of sandwiches and salads in there, all different types, and cold
drinks as well, all on ice. The bag is full of other items like chips and some
fruit. That should keep everyone that visits in food until tomorrow.”
He gave his best friend an appreciative look and nodded, knowing
that a verbal thank you between them was rarely necessary. He relaxed his
shoulders and felt himself let go of the rage and terror that had held him
captive for the last 30 some odd hours. Braden needed him and damned if
he was going to let him down now.
He walked over to Braden’s bed. “Cooper brought food for us and
anyone else who will visit. There’s snacks and fruit, sandwiches, salads and
drinks. I know you’re probably not that hungry at a time like this, but what
we need to do is take care of ourselves so that we’re all able to take care of
him. What can I bring you ladies?”
Having gotten their orders, he pulled the rolling tray over to the
counter and loaded it up with their meal. He pulled up one of the smaller
chairs and they all sat and ate, chatting with each other, telling Braden
stories, making sure they were loud enough for Braden to hear so he knew
he wasn’t alone.
Several nurses had come in since he’d been in the ICU, one of which
had drawn some blood. Cade was happy to see that the medical staff
seemed to be doting on Braden, checking on him and making sure everyone
visiting him got what they needed. Cade was even more relieved when his
ICU doctor came to introduce himself. Dr. Eduard Himmel was of average
height, sported wire rimmed glasses, and had curly hair sprinkled liberally
with gray. He smiled kindly at them.
“So, let’s see how Braden is doing, shall we? I’m not very familiar
with his case yet, as I just came on shift, but I’ve gotten a few tidbits. He’s
our most popular patient right now, which is rather ironic, as he’s in a coma,
but all of the nurses seem quite protective of him already.”
He glanced down at the iPad he had in his hands, tapped a few
buttons and swiped through a few of the screens in Braden’s medical file.
He frowned at something he read and looked up at Cade. “He was
kidnapped but later let go after having been beaten and ending up in the
coma. There’s mention here of a personal guard. I’m assuming that would
be you?”
“Yes, among other things.”
Dr. Himmel raised his eyebrow at that and shrugged good naturedly,
but tilted his head to look at Cade a bit closer. “You’re a McCade. I should
have seen the resemblance right away. Are you Finn’s brother?”
“Yes.”
The doctor smiled. “A man of few words. Another similarity, I see.”
Seeming to move on, he looked at Nana. “And you’re his mother?”
Nana blushed a bit. “Grandmother.”
Dr. Himmel smiled wide. “I don’t see how that’s possible, but I’ll
take your word for it. Miss?”
“I’m Maya, Braden’s best friend and business partner.”
Cade was slightly bemused that the doctor wanted everyone’s story,
and his lips twitched when the doctor continued. “And what is your
business, if I may ask?”
“We own the Sugar n’ Spice Café together.”
The doctor stared at Maya for several beats and then snapped his
finger and pointed in her general direction. “A couple blocks over from
Dolores Park?”
Maya nodded. “That’s us.”
The doctor closed his eyes and sighed as if in bliss. “Oh, your coffee
and those scones! My wife told me about it. Found it one day and dragged
me there the next. She’s a fan of your teas, too. We’ve made it a habit to
come round for your English Tea Tray, I’m a sucker for the traditional
scones with clotted cream and preserves.”
Maya smiled, genuinely pleased. “We’re so happy that you enjoy it so
much. I run the front so the coffee and tea portion is mine. Braden is our
baker.”
“Well then, let’s hurry and get him well, so he can get back to
thriving at what he’s best at, shall we? So you all are Braden’s core team, as
it were. He’s going to need you. I believe that Braden may be cognizant
enough to hear you and feel you. Touching him, talking to him, to each
other, it’s all good. The more you do, the more likely he’s going to fight to
come out of the coma sooner, rather than later. So, right now, I’m going to
take a look at his injuries. If any of you would like to leave, for his privacy
or yours, it will only take a couple minutes.”
Maya looked at Nana. “I don’t think I can take seeing more of the
damage that bastard did to him. I’ll be in the hallway for a few minutes.”
Nana must have agreed, as she nodded and followed her out.
Dr. Himmel set down his iPad, washed his hands, and proceeded to
turn down the blanket from Braden’s chest to his waist. Cade’s muscles
bunched in his torso and arms as he crossed them over his chest and moved
to stand closer to Braden. The doctor, seeing the movement, paused to look
up at Cade. “I really am rather fond of those scones, Mr. McCade. I want
nothing more than to get Braden well, so that I can continue to enjoy them.
I’m also a very big fan of keeping all of my teeth, having working limbs
and undamaged fingers.”
Cade smiled at the doctor, and noticed him relax a bit at the gesture.
“Just Cade, Doc. You have nothing to worry about; it’s the guy that did this
to him that needs to be worried.”
“I would imagine he is, if he knows you’re his guard…. Among other
things.” This was said with a smile, as the doctor continued, “I’m going to
pull up his gown, take a look at his ribs, and then take a look at his legs. I
just want to check on the injuries, so that I can monitor their progress while
he’s here.”
 With that, the doctor gently tugged Braden’s gown up above the
blanket at his waist to reveal the dark bruising and slight swelling of the
area on his lower chest, over his ribs. Being this close, Cade noticed that the
skin was actually broken there. His insides turned to ice when he thought of
the amount of pain Braden had sustained. The doctor gently touched the
area around the bruising and told Cade that the bruises themselves would
take a month or more to fade, but the pain from the kick, as it didn’t crack
any ribs, should not last more than a week or two. Though some tenderness
would remain for several weeks, and Braden should not overdo with
strenuous activities.
He lowered the gown under the blanket, being very careful to respect
Braden’s modesty. After that was done, he lifted the blanket from the
bottom of the bed to reveal Braden’s bare legs and took a look at the
bruising there. When Cade realized that Braden had tubes coming out of
him, practically from head to toe, he felt reality hit him like a ton of bricks.
He rubbed his face and pushed his hands into his hair and realized the
doctor had continued to talk about Braden’s condition and here he was, in
his own head, paying attention to his own issues with the situation at hand.
He got his head back in the game and admitted to the doctor that he’d
zoned out and asked him to repeat what he’d said about Braden’s legs. The
doctor gave him a sympathetic look and did just that. He said the pain for
those bruises should take much less time to heal and cause less pain than his
ribs. The doctor moved to Braden’s face, and pulled back the medical tape
holding the gauze to his eyebrow. After covering the stitched area back up,
he moved over to Braden’s right temple, removing the gauze from around
his head. Cade couldn’t keep a hiss from escaping his lips when he saw the
damage to Braden’s skin there. There were a couple large bumps, the skin
had split, and he was bruised and had bled there as well. The doctor once
again covered up the damage, returned to the sink and washed his hands
again.
Cade frowned. “Did you doubt that he’d been taken care of properly
by the ER?”
Dr. Himmel shook his head. “Not for a second, but with the trauma
his body has sustained, the more eyes on his open wounds the better. I want
to check them every day to ensure there is no sign of infection, which
would greatly impact his recovery time and possibly keep him comatose
longer if his body isn’t healing properly.”
Cade nodded and the doctor turned to write a few things in the iPad
file with his stylus. When he was done, he swiped back a few screens and
checked on something before turning it off. Dr. Himmel looked up at Cade.
“Braden’s glucose numbers are slowly coming back in line. In another hour
or so, a nurse will come in to administer an insulin injection and an hour or
so after that, another one will come in to draw some more blood. This will
continue to be the case until he’s released and can do his own testing and
injections, as he’s always done. The nursing staff is wonderful in our ICU,
and you’ll all be treated well. Should you need to see me while I’m on shift,
please let one of them know, and I’ll make my way back around to you. I’ll
be checking on him once again prior to the end of my shift or if anything
should happen that needs my attention.”
Cade sat on the side of the bed closest to the window. “Thanks, Doc.”
Dr. Himmel reached across Braden to shake Cade’s hand. “Sure
thing. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cade.”
“You as well, Doc.”
Dr. Himmel walked out and Nana and Maya came back in, followed
by Cooper, Finn, Vaughn, Sawyer and Jackson. Several minutes later, the
door opened again and his mom and dad, as well as sister and older brother
walked in as well. He took it all in, the support in the room, and realized in
that moment that nearly everyone he loved was here in the hospital room of
his partner, not only to support him, but to support the man he loved, even if
they hadn’t even met him before.
Emotion and extreme gratitude, the likes of which Cade had rarely
felt, swamped him in that moment and all he could do was watch, as his
family and friends talked quietly together. His dad approached him, not
saying a word, but placing his hand on his shoulder and squeezing there in
quiet support and understanding that he was feeling overwhelmed.
Gideon drew near and they both looked like they had something on
their minds. Feeling emotionally exhausted, he half hoped they didn’t have
anything earth shattering to discuss, as he wasn’t sure how much more he
could take. He kept himself rooted to the spot, sitting on Braden’s bed,
holding his hand, but he did turn a bit to face his dad and brother, and spoke
in a low voice to keep the others from overhearing. “OK, out with it. I know
you two went off on your own today, so you might as well tell me what this
cloak and dagger routine is all about.”
His brother had his hands in his pockets, and Cade caught the smile,
which was a rarity for Gideon in recent years, before he looked at his feet,
waiting for their dad to do the talking, it appeared. Cade looked at his father
and saw something there, a glimmer of pride or contentment, maybe, but he
wasn’t sure. Tilting his head to the side, he didn’t say a word and waited for
his dad to speak, and when he did, he couldn’t have been more surprised by
the turn of events.
“So, we never really talked about what would happen when one of
you kids found the love of your life. It wasn’t part of our family only plan,
but I think it should have been, and that was an oversight on the part of your
mother and me. We had a conversation with your brothers and your sister
earlier today, and we know Aiden wouldn’t have a problem with our
decision. We want Braden to have this, but we think that it needs to come
from you.”
Cade looked down at the box his dad had in his hand and reached to
take it, giving him a questioning look. Cade opened the box and looked at
their family crest that was etched into the wide platinum frame around the
face of an Imperator watch that only their immediate family wore because
of the upgrades to the foundry chips they’d had made specifically just for
their watches. His heart beat at a faster cadence and he had to blink several
times to clear the tears from his eyes. He took a deep breath and was about
to try to say something, but his dad beat him to it.
“If Braden is going to be a part of our family, he’s going to need an
Imperator watch. We saw the Militis watch he left in the cafe, with its
leather band, which we really like by the way, and we figured he’d need an
upgrade. We want to welcome him to our family properly, but wanted to
hand it off to you, to give to him as you see fit.”
Cade wasn’t talkative at the best of times, but at this exact moment,
he couldn’t think of a single thing he could say that would fully encompass
all that he was thinking and feeling, so he stood and he gathered his brother
and his dad in a hug and held on tight, and they gave as good as they got.
His family didn’t doubt for a second that Braden was it for him; his one, his
only. They never would have brought Braden one of the Imperators had
they not all fully believed in Cade’s claim that Braden was his everything.
He sat back down next to Braden, reached for his right arm and
placed the watch on his wrist. It was huge on him, so he’d remove it later
when his family left, and set it aside for when he woke. He knew he’d need
to remove the links on the watch and attach it to Braden’s leather handmade
band, or have another made for him, if it didn’t fit. However, right now he
could think of nothing he wanted more than for Braden to wear it.
His dad put his hand on the back of Cade’s neck and squeezed. “Do
your mother and Finn a favor, and take a nap right now. Emotionally you’ve
been put through the wringer. Look at everyone in here. We’re all talking,
eating some food and supporting you and your young man. I know you
won’t allow yourself any sleep tonight, because you’ll be on guard, so you
need a few hours now. At least one of us will be here to watch over you
both, so lie down for as long as your body allows it, and take advantage of
that.”
Cade looked at the sofa and the reclining chairs. Every spot was
taken, and he smiled up at his dad, about to say he was out of luck, when
his dad nudged him. “Braden is small enough that there’s plenty of room for
you right beside him. Don’t tell me he wouldn’t want you there, or that you
don’t want to be there. Just lie down and rest, Cade.”
Finn lifted a brow. “Why do you think I asked for one of our bigger
beds to be brought in here?”
It seemed his whole family was doing their best to take care of him
and Braden. He smiled as his mom walked over with Braden’s pillow from
his bed and his blue fleece blanket. He gently lifted Braden’s head and
replaced the pillow with his own, took the other and lay down on Braden’s
left side, facing him. His mom covered them both with the fleece blanket,
and Cade let himself relax to the rhythm of the conversations around him,
as his family and friends continued to talk and eat. It felt so good to have
Braden next to him. As much as he wanted to curl himself protectively
around him, he knew Braden was too injured for that yet, but just being
close enough for their bodies to touch was enough for him to let down his
guard and will himself to sleep.
 Later on, when Cade woke, he realized he had moved himself closer
to Braden in his sleep. He had started out on his side, arms folded across his
chest so he didn’t hurt him while he slept. He woke with his hand lying
lightly on the side of Braden’s neck, like he was pulling him in for a kiss,
while he slept. His lips were a mere inch from Braden’s forehead so he
leaned in and kissed him, nuzzling his hair and whispering that he loved
him. He checked his watch and realized that he’d let himself sleep for over
four hours, and he did feel remarkably better.
He sat up and realized what had woken him when he saw Braden’s
nurse drawing blood. She smiled so sweetly at him that he was taken aback.
“Even in sleep, I can tell how much you love him, and what’s even more
remarkable is that even in his coma, he can feel that and reciprocate. He
gravitated to you while you slept, turned his head towards you to be closer.
So sweet to see. I had your friend take a picture for you. One of us will be
back in about an hour to give him some insulin.”
With that she left the room, and he glanced to the sofa to see Maya
sitting with Cooper and he knew that everyone else had left. He used the
bathroom and when he came out he remembered to take the watch from
Braden’s wrist to give to him later. He moved one of the recliners close to
the bed again and sat. Cooper walked to the counter at the front of the room
and from what looked like a warming bag, pulled out a tray with a silver
cover over the food. He brought it to the rolling table and lowered it in front
of Cade and removed the cover. The steak on the plate was enormous and
the roasted baby red potatoes and seared asparagus had his mouth watering.
Cade dug in while Cooper updated him.
“Nana went home with your mom and your sister around 8 p.m. I
think this day really did her in. I brought back some food for the three of us,
and the guys just went out to eat. I think you’ll probably have some visitors
off and on during the night.”
Cade looked up at him and didn’t say a word. Cooper knew what he
wanted to hear and he sighed, which clued Cade in to the fact that he
wouldn’t be happy with his next words. “After he abandoned the car with
Braden in it, he hoofed it several blocks, and from what we can tell he
caught a bus. From there he got off at the mall and that’s where the signal
stayed. Jackson and Sawyer drove to the mall and found that the phone had
been dropped in one of the outside trash cans.
“We’ve done a number of things so far. We’ve contacted Detective
Miller, who is searching for any and all cars reported stolen today, no matter
where they went missing. Jackson and Sawyer went to all of the stores in
and around the mall that sell pay as you go phones with a couple pictures of
Eric. So far no one has said he looks familiar, but he’s changed his looks
and the camera footage pictures are grainy, so that’s no surprise. We’ve got
Brody training Landon, and they’re going through camera footage from any
of the cell phone stores in the area that have security feeds available.”
Cade muttered several expletives under his breath. “So, he’s in the
wind, and we’re back to square one.”
Cooper sighed. “Basically, yeah, until Braden wakes, and we ask if
he has anything he can tell us that might help. Cade, take this time during
your boy’s recovery to rest. Even if we’re not in the room, one of us will be
on the floor, keeping an eye on you both. He’ll need you at your best when
he wakes.”
Cade nodded. He knew Cooper was right. He took stock of his
reaction, his stress level, after their conversation and made a decision. He
asked Cooper to take lead on the investigation with Eric and to keep all
updates to himself until he asked for the data. He trusted Cooper to do what
needed to be done, and they were always so in tune with each other that he
knew Cooper would handle it just like he would, regardless. He set aside
anything and everything that was Eric, and vowed not to think about it until
Braden was out of the woods.

For Cade, the next 24 hours passed in a blur of visitors, doctor and
nurse check-ins, blood draws, insulin injections, and a lot more pacing.
He’d been able to sleep, off and on the night before, feeling more
comfortable with the safety of the hospital after Cooper had assured him
that the staff was being very cautious and that one of his men would remain
on the premises at all times. However, the day had been long and his
tension had been high. Some sleepwear and his dopp kit had been brought
for him, and he was able to take a quick shower and brush his teeth in the
en-suite bathroom to freshen up, which made him feel a bit better.
Braden’s wounds were being checked regularly for any infection.
Coma patients were often in danger of getting pneumonia, so his medical
staff was religious with their testing and treatments. Cade knew he was
getting the best care possible and had to trust in that fact, or he’d drive
himself crazy with worry. That anxiety was lessening by the hour, however,
especially in light of his continued conversations with Braden’s medical
team. Dr. Himmel was very optimistic that Braden would have a full
recovery and reassured Cade every chance he got.
Earlier that evening, the doctor had ordered CAT and SPECT scans,
as well as an MRI of Braden’s brain. Though they couldn’t be 100 percent
certain until Braden woke up, the results were negative for brain damage
and it didn’t appear that he would have any permanent impairment. The
hospital staff remained vigilant with his care, and Cade could tell by their
demeanor that they felt positive it was only a matter of time until he woke.
They simply waited for Braden’s mind to recognize that his body was ready.
As a result, Cade felt more at ease and began to relax around the caring
staff. He couldn’t keep himself from softening toward them as they doted
on his mate, and if he was being honest, they doted on him as well.
Braden had been in the hospital going on 36 hours. He couldn’t
remember ever feeling so mentally and physically exhausted. He could feel
the stress of the last several days weighing him down. His reserves were
about depleted, and he knew he needed to sleep so that he could be at his
best when Braden woke. Feeling restless and craving the intimacy of touch,
he lay down next to Braden, curling his body around him. He settled in to
talk to him and touch him, made sure Braden could feel him, hear him, and
smell him.
In lieu of his pillow, Cade snugged an arm under Braden’s head, his
lips whisper close to Braden’s temple. He snaked his other arm across
Braden’s lower abdomen, avoiding his bruised ribs, and clasped his boy’s
hand gently in his much larger one. Cade’s tension fled as he held Braden in
his arms. He finally felt the confidence that Braden’s medical staff had been
trying to instill in him. Weary beyond his imagination, he let down his
guard and allowed himself the sleep his body needed to refuel.
Having finally succumbed to exhaustion, Cade dreamed of Braden,
healthy and whole. He could see Braden’s smile, hear his beautiful voice,
and feel his boy’s warm smooth skin against his own. They were in bed,
talking and laughing, holding hands and snuggling. The absence of stress
and anxiety in the tableau almost jarring in its peacefulness. Even in the
dream, Cade felt that the happiness and tranquility of holding Braden in his
arms was somehow symbolic of their future, as yet undefined. He felt the
tender clasp of fingers much smaller than his own, squeeze him gently, but
failed to recognize it for what it was. Cade slept on as the man he loved
more than life itself gripped his hand like a lifeline, as he struggled to pull
himself out of the depths of an abyss.

The End, for now.

Protecting Braden: Custos Securities Series Book 2, due out in a few

months

OceanofPDF.com
Thank you for reading Trusting Cade. This is my debut novel and it’s been
a labor of love and angst from the beginning. If you enjoyed it, please take a
moment to leave a review.

I welcome contact from readers. You can find me on Facebook; Twitter; and
my webpage: http://www.lunadavid.com/.

OceanofPDF.com
John, I’d like to thank you for working tirelessly to allow me to pursue my
dream. I approached you about it at the end of 2014 and you immediately
took me seriously. You believe in me, sometimes more than I believe in
myself, and for that, and so many other things, I’m grateful for you.

I’d like to thank my family for being so supportive and my friends as well.
Liz, Lizard, my fellow wordsmith, I don’t even know what to say. Thank
you doesn’t seem good enough. The list of things you’ve done for me is
pretty much endless. You’ve supported my ideas, helped me flesh them out,
and put me back on course when I’ve veered too far in the wrong direction.
You’ve encouraged me, been my sounding board, and my editor and beta
reader all wrapped up in one. You, lady, deserve some sort of award for
putting up with my neediness! Thank you, sincerely.

To my wonderful beta readers, thank you so much! Elizabeth Coffey, Becky

Ellsworth, Michael Edward McFee, Denise Dechene and Jen Barten. Each
and every one of you provided unique and much needed feedback,
corrections and ideas on what to do to make my book better, stronger. I
appreciate each and every one of you and can’t thank you enough, not only
for all the work you did, but for being patient with my endless questions
and first time author jitters.
 And last, but definitely not least, I’d like to thank my cover artist, Kellie
Dennis, at Book Cover by Design (www.bookcoverbydesign.co.uk). Your
work is amazing. I was ridiculously demanding and you were ridiculously
patient. Thank you, Kellie. I look forward to working with you in the future,
if you can put up with me.

OceanofPDF.com
 Luna David is a wife, a mother of twins, and now, an author. When she’s
not begging her little ones to stop--throwing things, hitting each other,
pulling the cat’s tail, having meltdowns, screaming, eating stuff off the
floor, yelling at each other, playing with their food, running into the street,
and destroying the house--you’ll most likely find her writing.

She loves anything book, coffee or dark chocolate related and can’t think of
a better way to pass the time than to combine all three. She can’t remember
a time when she wasn’t addicted to reading or creating her own stories, if
only in her head. It wasn’t until recently that she began to believe she could
actually put those stories to paper.

She is blessed enough to have wonderfully supportive family and friends

and she counts herself lucky every day that she gets to not only be a stay at
home mom to her kids, but to also pursue her dream of becoming a
published author.

OceanofPDF.com